


Taming Yun

by xxfergiexx



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Drama, M/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-22 23:14:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 40,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/615457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxfergiexx/pseuds/xxfergiexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Changmin, captain of the Korean navy, meets a mysterious tribal man that will change his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to rocketsprout for the beta!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depictions of Taiwan and its people have no factual bases.

[ ](http://s1210.beta.photobucket.com/user/xxfergiexx/media/tamingyun_zps17a815a9.jpg.html)

**Late 19th Century**  
  
  
  
Changmin smooths down his thick black hair, making sure the long strands are tied tightly at the base of his head. He fixes the medals on his navy uniform and nods at his reflection. There is a knock on the bathroom door. “Come in.”  
  
  
  
A stout man in glasses enters. “Captain, Minister Jung will see you now.”  
  
  
  
Changmin nods. “Thank you, Jonghyun.” He lets the Minister’s assistant lead him to the private office where Minister Jung is waiting. When the Minister sees Changmin, he bows a full 90 degrees. Changmin bows at a 45 degree angle but keeps his head down to show how honored he is to meet the esteemed politician.  
  
  
  
He starts, “Minister Jung, it’s a pleasure.”  
  
  
  
“No need to be so formal, my boy. Please, call me Yanghyun.”  
  
  
  
It’s strange to be called a _boy_ , but Jung Yanghyun was just appointed by the King to be the new Minister of Foreign Affairs for Korea. Changmin figures Yanghyun is still a humble small town politician from Gwangju. The conniving Seoul politicians will soon corrupt Yanghyun, Changmin thinks.  
  
  
  
Yanghyun gestures for him to sit. Once seated, Jonghyun enters with tray of tea. Changmin takes a cup and sips a little too much at once and ends up burning his tongue. He covers his blunder with a cough and sets his cup down. Yanghyun smiles and asks, “How old are you, Captain?”  
  
  
  
“28, sir.”  
  
  
  
Yanghyun’s smile turns sad. Changmin wonders but remains politely silent. They drink a little more of their tea, then Changmin thinks it’s time to discuss the reason for their meeting. “Yanghyun-sshi, I had wanted to formally introduce myself to you. My name is Shim Changmin. I’ve been a military man all my life, just as you have been a politician. I was promoted to Captain of the Korean navy a few years ago. I will consider it an honor to work with you as well as our King.”  
  
  
  
Yanghyun appeared pleased with Changmin’s words. The Minister stands to formerly shake his hand then sits back down. “I appreciate your words, Captain. You may have been wondering about my strange letter to you.”  
  
  
  
“Yes, I did wonder. It was rather vague.”  
  
  
  
Laughing lightly, Yanghyun agreed, “Yes, that was done on purpose to make you come see me in person about this issue. You see, a group of tourists from our country, we think they are also missionaries, left for a trip to Taiwan a month ago. They haven’t returned since.”  
  
  
  
Changmin frowned. “Have there been no reports? No way of contacting them?”  
  
  
  
Yanghyun shook his head. “No, none. It’s like the people just disappeared. You had been away at sea for a few weeks when this happened. We need to find these people, Captain.”  
  
  
  
“Are those my orders from the King?” Changmin inquired.  
  
  
  
“Yes, the King will be speaking with you officially on it later today and for you to rally up a small team of men to go with you.” After a pause, the Minister warns, “The Chinese Emperor has been informed of the situation but he isn’t thrilled about Koreans invading his land. Tread lightly, Captain.”  
  
  
  
“Of course, sir, none of their people shall be harmed by us,” Changmin promises. “I’ll get the men ready once I speak with the King. We will need these missing people’s family contact information so that they can provide us with pictures at least, routes they planned to visits, things like that.”  
  
  
  
Yanghyun commends Changmin’s line of thinking. “Excellent plan, Captain. We don’t know anything beyond these people’s names.”  
  
  
  
Changmin finishes half his tea as they speak a bit about the recent politics of the nation. He stands, adjusting his navy uniform jacket and shakes hands with the Minister. His eyes are caught by a picture frame on the Minister's desk.  
  
  
  
The frame held an old, faded picture of a chubby boy of maybe 8 or 9 years old with sharply slanted brown eyes and straight, medium-length black hair. He wonders who that is since he heard Yanghyun doesn’t have any children.  
  
  
  
The Minister spots his curiosity and picks up the picture, staring down at it for a few seconds. Yanghyun’s lips curl into a sad smile. “This is my son… was my son.”  
  
  
  
“ _Was_?”  
  
  
  
“He disappeared 17 years ago,” Yanghyun explains solemnly. “Not long after this picture was taken, in fact. He would be around… oh, 25 years old now.”  
  
  
  
Changmin peeks at the picture again and notices a very small beauty mark on the side of the child’s upper lip. An unusual feature for a boy. “What happened to him? How did he disappear?”  
  
  
  
Setting the picture back on the desk, Yanghyun put his hands in his pockets as he recounts what happened. “My wife and son and I had been on a tourist boat visiting some of the Ryukyu Islands near Taiwan. My son had a habit of getting into trouble. He liked exploring. If he was here now, I’ll bet he’d be an explorer, venturing off to God knows where in search of God knows what.”  
  
  
  
Changmin notes the distant affection in the Minister’s voice.  
  
  
  
The older man continues the tale, “On one of the islands… can’t remember which one… my son must have ventured off too far. We don’t know when he went missing exactly because he was playing on the shores, then when we packed up to hop onto the next island, my wife couldn’t find him. The crew told us he was playing below deck so we boarded and moved on… I’m afraid we neglected to look for him as we socialized with other tourists.”  
  
  
  
 _Bad move_ , Changmin thinks.  
  
  
  
“Bad move,” Yanghyun concludes. “We just figured the crew was watching him since they seemed to take a liking to him from the beginning. When we arrived on the other island and my son didn’t rush out to play on the beach, we started to worry. He was nowhere on the ship, although we searched and searched.”  
  
  
  
The Minister pales, the age lines becoming more defined now. “We were young and stupid. We should have known better.”  
  
  
  
After a moment of silence, Changmin asks, “Did you go back and search that island?”  
  
  
  
“I caused a big scene,” Yanghyun said. “But the captain of that ship said he couldn’t change routes and go back. We had to tour around the islands and back up to the first one. We were so sure, even a day or two later, my son would still be there… surviving among the locals somehow. He wasn’t. He had disappeared. We sent search parties for him many times after that, even when we got back to Korea.”  
  
  
  
Changmin wonders what sort of inept search parties had gone on back then. He’s sure he would have found this boy himself if he had been put in charge. Something was off about the story… the crew misleading the parents especially. Changmin remains quiet and ponders over the stories for a few minutes, staring down at the picture. The boy isn’t smiling in the picture. “What was his name?” Changmin wonders out loud.  
  
  
  
Yanghyun traces the picture frame as he replies, “Y-Yunho.”  
  
  
  
“Yunho,” Changmin repeats, testing the name. It’s a shame what happened. It appears that even years later, Yanghyun is still not over it.  
  
  
  
Changmin leaves the Minister’s office with sympathy throbbing in his heart for the older man — for the one bad decision that cost him his son. A son who had barely begun to live.  
  
  
  
After confirming with the King, information and pictures are collected from families and close relatives of the missing people. It was a group of 5 people who went on the trip to Taiwan. Changmin thinks it’s unlikely they will find all 5, unless the people were smart enough to stick together. It’s been a month. A month is a long time to be missing. Changmin sends out a silent prayer that he and his men will be able to locate these people and return them to their families. It would be tragic to report back to the families and watch their grief.  
  
  
  
His superintendent, Commodore Kim Jongkook, is a reasonably good-looking man with the sharpest pair of eyes and a bad temper. Changmin gets called into headquarters only to be lectured — basically ordered by the Commodore to make sure his men stay in line and not bring on-board any stowaways. “Shim — because of your maddening need to investigate and rescue everyone in need, I feel justified in insisting you _stick to the mission_. You are the captain now and about to enter an island filled with tribes. Who knows what you might see. You and your men are there to find and protect our people who went missing, not save the indigenous, especially with the Chinese government not wanting us there in the first place.”  
  
  
  
“Now, Commodore,” Changmin reasons innocently. “Have I ever disobeyed orders?”  
  
  
  
The Commodore rolls his eyes to the heavens, no doubt praying for patience. “Don’t let the 100th argument break out between us, Shim. You are captain now, and I expect you to act as such.”  
  
  
  
Changmin responds respectfully, “Of course, Commodore.”  
  
  
  
Jongkook asks sharply, “Speaking of going against orders… I see you _still_ haven’t cut your hair to standard regulation.”  
  
  
  
Changmin chuckles. Jongkook sighs, “Get out.”  
  
  
  
The next day, Changmin’s crew travels to Inchon where they board one of the imperial auxiliary ships, _Choikang_. His right-hand man, Kyuhyun, rants about the situation.  
  
  
  
“These people have been gone a month and no one thought to send even a small search party? We just got back from a mission, Changmin.”  
  
  
  
“ _Captain_ , Kyu. Address me as such, please.”  
  
  
  
Kyuhyun ignores him. “I’m telling you this will be just a wild goose chase. And to step on Chinese land when we’ve already had bones to pick with them this past year. It’s asking for trouble, man!”  
  
  
  
Changmin sighs and spins the helm wheel, calling for anchors away. “Wild goose chase or not, this is another mission, lieutenant.”  
  
  
  
Kyuhyun quietens, then asks, “What if we don’t find them?”  
  
  
  
Changmin replies authoritatively, “We leave no inch unsearched, do you hear me, lieutenant? We will find them. Now go tell the men they’re in for a demanding trip and they should take turns resting once the ship is on its way.”  
  
  
  
Kyuhyun bows. “Yes, Captain.”  
  
  
  
The ship is in motion. Changmin walks around checking on the crew and vital parts of the ship. By the time he’s done with rotation, the ship is in the middle of the sea with no land in sight — this is the part the makes Changmin’s heart sing in both fear and delight. Nothing can ever make a man feel as small as an ant as when he is out in the middle of the sea. Nothing. And every time he’s out here, it puts everything in perspective.  
  
  
  
Releasing his long hair from the hair tie, Changmin closes his eyes and lets the salty breeze caress it. His hands slide down the wooden railing. How he wishes _she_ was standing here. His wife. Wishes she could see this now… the Yellow Sea rippling breathtakingly, kissing the blue sky in the distance. It is only during these times he allows himself to think about her. The sea with its calming sounds and vastness makes her come alive in his heart. When the water splashes against the bottom of the ship, he hears her name: _Seohyun_.  
  
  
  
Changmin is lonely. Being a seaman all his life, he’s visited so many places, met so many different people from different cultures. But nothing ever compared to coming home to Seohyun and feeling her warmth and love, indulging in her home-cooked meals. Now, he goes home to an empty house. He is grateful for having two missions in a row… it makes him feel less alone to be on a ship with his men and crew goofing around with each other.  
  
  
  
Time passes on the ship as normal. Changmin manages the navigation but leaves an officer to keep things going while he socializes with the other men. Changmin is mostly an observer when it comes to social interaction. One of his youngest men, named Minho, likes to stick to him like glue. Minho is like a mirror image of Changmin in hair style and attitude, mostly because the boy seems determined to emulate him.  
  
  
  
“Captain Shim,” Minho starts as he enters Changmin’s private cabin. “I’ve checked down on the crew and they’re all doing fine but are complaining a bit about the food. Should I talk to Cook?”  
  
  
  
Nodding as he traces the large map spread out on his desk, Changmin answers, “Yeah, the food has been lacking spices lately. Thank you, Minho.”  
  
  
  
The younger man rushes down to the ship’s kitchen, then comes back to his office to watch him study the map. Minho is obviously attached to Changmin… and Changmin indulges Minho because he enjoys his company. The crew all think Minho has a crush on him… and he very well might but Changmin certainly isn’t going to encourage _that_. It’s a bad idea to get involved with a military mate. Besides, Minho is his subordinate… it would be like taking advantage if he acted on Minho’s not-so-subtle hints.  
  
  
  
“Glad we made it to the East China Sea with no storms,” Changmin mutters.  
  
  
  
Minho traces Taiwan on the map and asks, “Do you really think we’ll find those people?”  
  
  
  
Sighing impatiently, Changmin replied, “All the men have been asking me that, Minho. I don’t know but we’re going to try our best.”  
  
  
  
Minho looks down. “I’m sorry to bother you, Captain. I’ll go now.”  
  
  
  
Changmin nurses a sudden headache, letting the younger man leave without any consoling words. It can’t be helped. The boy-crush Minho is feeling for him will soon pass, Changmin hopes, since Minho only joined the navy a few months ago.  
  
  
  
When he sleeps during the trip, his dreams are conflicting. He has his standard dream of Seohyun… of making love to her. Then the scene shifts and Seohyun is replaced with Minho. Then he ends up pushing Minho out of his bed. The scene shifts again to a little boy… Minister Jung Yanghyun’s lost son. The boy, Yunho, sees Changmin and run to him with open arms. And Changmin carries him to his father. Yunho doesn’t let go of him though…  
  
  
  
Changmin jolts awake. He’s not sure what to make of the strange dream so he ignores it happened and dresses to go see the progress they’ve made. China’s mainland is visible from the east… they must be close to Taiwan. He stays on deck to watch the horizon. He’s cautious about the Chinese sending a “nice” surprise their way.  
  
  
  
Soon, they are approaching Taiwan. With the compass and map in front of him, Changmin is sure of it. There are many Japanese islands scattered near it and Changmin is reminded of the Minister’s son again. _Why does that boy keep popping in my head?_ Changmin sighs inwardly. It must be because the story touched him deeply. Seohyun died years ago from an illness. Little Yunho’s case is far worse. Imagine not know what happened to your loved one? At least Changmin knows for sure his love’s soul has moved on.  
  
  
  
They maneuvered the ship to the part of the island of Taiwan that is the least populated. For one thing, if they land in Taipei, they will have to deal with a political issue… who knows if the people there were alerted to the arrival of a ship from the Korean navy. And another thing, the itinerary the lost people’s families provided indicated this was the last area visited. It’s a good place to start. Changmin points all this out to his men and they agree unanimously with him.  
  
  
  
So, they pull in to the western bank of the island and anchor the ship by some cliff rocks. Once on land, Changmin orders his men to reconnoiter the area. The beach is quiet without a person in sight. They wander into the forest of the island. They search for hours looking for any human life. Changmin calls the men back from going too deep into the forest. They are naval officers… fighting the wildlife isn’t their business. From the sounds he hears from the distance, Changmin assumes wild cats inhabit Taiwan. He’d rather not venture too far until they can ask some locals about it.  
  
  
  
First, Changmin tells his men to change their clothes. They’re always told to bring extra clothes with them so they could blend in with civilians just in case it’s necessary during a mission. They all changed into casual pants and sleeveless shirts. Marching East and climbing a small hill leads to a large market place.  
  
  
  
Changmin is proud to know Mandarin. It’s useful to know a popular language of the largest country next to yours, so when civilians stare at them and Changmin can converse with them naturally, it puts the people more at ease to give information.  
  
  
  
Approaching an old lady at a rice vendor, Changmin asks in Mandarin, “Can you please tell me about the forest a mile back?”  
  
  
  
The old lady appears disturbed by the question. She glances off towards the forest fearfully then answers, “It’s haunted. Whoever wanders into it never comes out. An ancient tribe has survived for decades in there. Some say the tribe was destroyed long ago and it’s just their ghosts that haunts it… anyone lost in there will go mad and eventually commit suicide.”  
  
  
  
 _Stupid superstitions,_ Changmin criticizes internally. He doesn’t have time for these ghost stories. He looks back to see his men buying snacks and joking around. He rolls his eyes. So much for a highly trained naval army!  
  
  
  
Sighing, he thanks the woman and walks off. Changmin halts in his steps when he sees a man in a brown loin cloth walking on all fours towards a fruit vendor. When the man tries to steal a banana, the owner boxes his ears. It’s such a hard hit, Changmin winces. The man stands up for himself by hissing and walking away, still on all fours. The wild man’s eyes meet his and Changmin is never more shaken up than he is at that moment. He is genuinely scared but at the same time wants to move towards this feline human.  
  
  
  
Changmin has no time to think for the man retreats backwards, standing up but running away hunched over. In a slight daze, Changmin goes to that same fruit vendor and asks, “Who was that man?”  
  
  
  
The owner scoffs, “That wasn’t a man, that was an animal disguised at a man! He comes to steal from me every week!”  
  
  
  
“Where did he come from?” Changmin questions in a moderate voice, though strangely upset at the owner degrading that poor man.  
  
  
  
The owner points at something over Changmin’s shoulders. It’s the haunted forest the old woman mentioned. Does that man live deep within the forest, alone? Is he the force that makes the lost people go mad and commit suicide? Changmin wishes he got a closer look at the man. He faces the vendor owner and requests, “One banana please.” He pockets the small fruit.  
  
  
  
They search all day, travelling from place-to-place, stopping only for food and water. They stay on foot or ride carriages so as to not attract much attention. They didn’t stray very far away from their ship and, by nightfall, travelled back to the beach. They should row back to their ship but something tells Changmin to stay close to land tonight. One of his men, Kangin, protests about the dangers of it, especially with the forest so near.  
  
  
  
“I will stay up to patrol,” Changmin offers. “I want everyone to rest for now. No use rowing back to the ship this late… the crew can manage it. Eunhyuk and Onew, start a fire for us, please. Kyuhyun, Kangin, and Yesung, set up the tents from our backpacks. Siwon and Shindong, please go wash up in the ocean water… it is unfortunate you both fell in donkey shit.”  
  
  
  
Everyone snickers. Changmin turns away to check the area, a torch in hand and a pistol ready in the back of his pants in case something goes wrong. Minho catches up with him and says, “I’ll join you, Captain.”  
  
  
  
Changmin sighs and shrugs, not afraid to let Minho know he’s not in a good mood. They walk around in silence but it’s an awkward silence… or at least it feels awkward to Changmin as he recalls his dream from last night. Not a sound or whisper can be heard. An omen of something disastrous to come, perhaps.  
  
  
  
Changmin and Minho make it back to camp where the other men have washed up and are now settling into the small tents. “Minho, go rest,” Changmin commands.  
  
  
  
Shaking his head, Minho suggests, “Why don't you rest first, Captain? I’ll take the first watch.”  
  
  
  
Truth be told, Changmin is exhausted. He consents after a moment’s hesitation and slides into his tent. Sleep comes and goes. After some time, he sits up to see Minho falling asleep with his eyes open. Going over to the boy, he says softly, “Go sleep now. I’ll take over. Thank you.”  
  
  
  
Minho drags himself away, too tired to protest. Leaning against a tree trunk, Changmin stares off into the dark forest. Soothing oceanic sounds fill his ears and clear his head of any worries. When his eyes begin to droop, something glimmers in the darkness of the forest. Changmin stands on high alert and never takes his eyes off the glimmer that’s teasing the dark.  
  
  
  
After making certain his gun is secure in his pants, Changmin grabs the torch and walks slowly towards the spot. It disappears… then appears and starts to come closer. Changmin pulls out his gun. If it is a forest beast, he will have to dispose of it.  
  
  
  
He stays on the outskirts of the forest and calls out quietly, “Who are you? What are you? Show yourself.”  
  
  
  
Emerging from the thick abyss of greenery is a man, not an animal. Changmin squints his eyes, hoping the man is non-threatening. He doesn’t want to have to kill on this calm, moonlit night.  
  
  
  
Out-of-nowhere the man is right in Changmin’s face, the lines on the mysterious man’s face shadowed from the light of the torch. An embarrassing squawk escapes Changmin’s throat as he stumbles back. “It’s you!”  
  
  
  
He recognizes him. It’s the loin cloth man from earlier who tried to steal a banana from a vendor. Recovering from his initial shock, Changmin angles the torch, illuminating the other man, not jarring him in the face.  
  
  
  
The man stares at him in equal shock, eyes wild. Changmin has seen this look in an animal’s eyes when they feel cornered or frightened. Soothingly, Changmin says in Mandarin, “What is your name?”  
  
  
  
The man only stares. Changmin finally takes the man’s full appearance. The other has a beard, not a long one, but one that looks like it was cut with a jagged rock. It is very uneven. The man’s hair leaves a lot to be desired too. Straight black hair hangs down to the lower back, but it’s all tangled and mangy. It looks like it has a lot of potential to be beautiful hair. Changmin itches to brush it…  
  
  
  
The man notices the critical stare and threads fingers through his mangy hair, eyes still wild. Changmin glances down to the rest of the man’s body. The body is lean, very lean… a bit on the skinny side actually. Then he remembers…  
  
  
  
“Here you go,” Changmin pulls out the banana from his front pants pocket and holds it out. The man backs away from him. “No, wait, don’t go…”  
  
  
  
He keeps the banana out and sets the hilt of the torch into the ground. Holding up his free hand in mock surrender, Changmin says, “See. I won’t hurt you. Take it. You wanted one earlier.”  
  
  
  
The wild man, which Changmin decides in his head to call Tarzan for the time being, steps forward cautiously and snags the banana from Changmin’s hand. Tarzan flops down on his hunches, peels the banana hastily and eats it in two bites. Changmin wants to laugh at the puffed out cheeks and busy chewing. Tarzan has the mannerism of a true untamed animal. _Amazing_ , Changmin thinks, _even the way he sits is like a dog or a cat_.  
  
  
  
“Can you tell me who are now?” Changmin hunches down, mimicking Tarzan. But Tarzan stares at him still but now some confusion on his face. Tarzan has very expressive eyes. Changmin wishes it were daylight so that he could clearly see what color they are. The slant of them seems so familiar, like he’s seen them in the past or in a dream.  
  
  
  
When he asks the question again, Changmin realizes Korean is spilling out of his mouth, not Mandarin. Shaking his head at himself, Changmin repeats the question again in Mandarin, “Can you tell me who are?”  
  
  
  
Tarzan appears at a loss on how to reply. So Changmin changes tactics and falls back to sit on his bottom, hands placed on the ground behind him. He hopes his non-threatening stance will make the wild man more comfortable. Tarzan continues to sit on his hunches though, staring at Changmin like he’s ready to bolt at any moment.  
  
  
  
Some time passes where they just sit there in silence. But this silence is different than the silence with Minho. It’s not awkward. Tarzan is content to sit and stare at Changmin like he’s a strange specimen in a laboratory. But there are no expectations in that stare… just raw honesty. Like a cat who watches cautiously, waiting for any love or attention you’re willing to offer.  
  
  
  
Tarzan reaches out a finger to poke at Changmin’s boots. He's careful not to make any sudden movements and lets the man poke at him. A voice cut through the jungle silence, “Captain!”  
  
  
  
Tarzan’s head snaps up and he backs away. Changmin stands up quickly. “No, don’t go!”  
  
  
  
Siwon is approaching. When Tarzan spots him, he bolts into the jungle. Changmin moves to run after him but Siwon grabs his arm. “Where are you going, Captain? It’s not safe to go in there alone. Isn’t that the same savage from the market place?”  
  
  
  
Sighing in frustration at the now more visible bushes due to the sunrise, Changmin says distractingly, “You noticed him?”  
  
  
  
“We all did,” Siwon replies. “We saw what the vendor owner did. That wild man is clearly unstable. It’s lucky he didn’t hurt you now.”  
  
  
  
Turning to face Siwon, Changmin asks the question, “Who’s really the _unstable_ one, Choi? The hungry man doing what he can to survive or the relatively well-off man who abuses someone hungry?”  
  
  
  
He walks away from Siwon. It’s time to gear up to venture deep into the jungle. Changmin’s gut tells him to try the haunted forest again. He also convinces himself it wasn’t about finding Tarzan again.  
  
  
  
The men are less than pleased with this course of action. Kyuhyun is especially vocal about it. “Captain, we tried it already. Going in too deep is not our territory!”  
  
  
  
“Stay down, Cho,” Changmin retorts. “You will follow orders!”  
  
  
  
Kangin tries to protest too. Changmin simply glares and orders them to be ready in a few minutes. He isn’t normally so unreasonable with his men. But he’s feeling edgy. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep. Or maybe he’s still pissed he never got any answers from Tarzan.  
  
  
  
So they venture out through the trees and bushes, weapons ready, bodies on alert. Swords are used to cut through the tangled branches and shrubbery. They arrive at a misty area. It was at this point yesterday he had ordered the men back. Not this time. They have not encountered any wild animals this whole time. Changmin thinks it’s okay to move in further. He feels there are eyes on him. He only hopes it’s Tarzan and not some wild creature. Either way, he keeps sharp eyes all around.  
  
  
  
This misty section of the forest is eerie. The entire forest is unique in that it is too quiet. But here it’s worse. Air seems to be at a stand-still here… not even an insect can be heard. He is a bit disturbed because this kind of stillness is never a good sign. He glances at his men and sees they appear uneasy. Changmin says quietly to them, “I know you all think I’m nuts, but we need to check all avenues. This is the last place those folks visited. Who’s to say they didn’t wander this far into the forest?”  
  
  
  
His men consider those words and appear less anxious and more determined. Onew suggests, “Should be split up to cover more ground?”  
  
  
  
Changmin shakes his head. “No, I can’t have any of us getting lost too. Let’s just stick as a group and —”  
  
  
  
Out of the blue, drum beats boom through the shadowy pathway up ahead. They all jump, sheathe their swords and walk faster, a torch and pistol in each hand. Changmin senses something up in the trees, watching them. But he leads the men on, following the primitive tempo. Sweat is dripping down Changmin’s face. He hopes he’s not making a mistake…  
  
  
  
The shadowy path clears to a new area filled with sunlight. Changmin has the men crawl so they stay hidden behind a huge bush. Parting the bendy branches, Changmin’s jaw drops.  
  
  
  
He can see an open yard full of men in loin cloths and women with cloths wrapped around their chests and waists. Most of them have unusual piercings through their nose and what looks like hand-made jewelry around their necks. A man with a tall feathery hat is circling a fire. Then the man lifts an animal leg in the air and hollers in some Chinese dialects Changmin is unable to comprehend. All the tribal people scream with joy, raising their hands in the air. Some men around the leader take a chunk full of red meat from the leg and bite into it.  
  
  
  
He hears Siwon groan beside him, “Oh my God, these are heathens!”  
  
  
  
“Captain, I found something!” Yesung says in a hushed tone. Changmin looks down both sides of him. All the men are kneeling close to him watching the spectacle, except Yesung, who is down by the edge of bush. Crawling towards him and peering behind bush, Changmin sees a group of 5 people sitting in a cage. They have dirty faces and look faint but Changmin instantly recognizes them from the pictures he received from the families. They are the lost tourists… three men and two women, and from their outfits they looked like missionaries.  
  
  
  
He puts a hand on Yesung’s shoulder. “Good job, Yesung.” He crawls back to the other men to inform them. As they sat huddled for a second, a foreign man is suddenly standing behind them, shouting. Changmin yells at his men, “Don’t shoot them!” when other tribal men come to drag them into the yard. They are thrown next to the fire and stared at suspiciously by every member of the tribe.  
  
  
  
When he sees from the corner of his eye Kangin ready to shoot, he knocks the gun away with his foot. “Are you a fool? Do you want to make an enemy before we can negotiate?” Kangin looks furious with him, but Changmin doesn’t give a damn. Staring a war with these people will only create chaos that can get them and the lost tourists killed in the process.  
  
  
  
Scanning his men instinctively, he notices Yesung isn’t among them. Changmin looks sharply at the cage of tourists and they are all still there. _Yesung, where are you?_  
  
  
  
He doesn’t have time to worry because from a nearby tree, Tarzan lands onto the ground with accuracy. The tribe all look to Tarzan with a smile. The man with the tall hat, who appears to be the chief, shouts, “Yun!” And a bunch of other things in the foreign dialect. Changmin assumed Tarzan’s name is Yun, since the rest of the tribe also shout, “Yun!” as a greeting.  
  
  
  
After sparing Changmin a quick glance, Yun claps his hand three times. The drums boom. Yun stomps his bare feet with each boom, then as the rhythm gets faster, Yun starts to spin and bang his head to the beat. The rest of the tribe, especially the women join him, yelling, “Ehhhh! Aye! Aye! Aye!” and singing.  
  
  
  
Changmin can’t believe his eyes. The jumpy, timid creature from before has transformed into a powerful creature of the jungle, body lithe and tanned and glistening. Changmin scans the crowd, eyes landing on the cage again. The side door of the cage is open now… the tourists are being helped out by Yesung. The tribal dance becomes more intense as Yun stomps and twirls faster, distracting everyone from the escape.  
  
  
  
Taking the opportunity to get his men out of there, Changmin slowly slides away, motioning for Eunhyuk, Kangin, Onew, Kyuhyun, Siwon, Shindong, and Minho to do the same. Two wicked looking arrows are pointed at them, thwarting their escape. The two tribal men holding the weapons are shouting for the chief. The chief points at them and more arrows are lifted in their direction. Changmin meets Yun’s eyes a few feet away.  
  
  
  
Changmin slips a hand covertly into his pocket, feeling for the small gas grenade. The crowd is focused on them now. From the corner of his eyes he sees the cage is now empty. The chief noticed it too and screams angrily. Changmin pops the top of the small gas grenade and, as he throws it, he roars, “NOW!” The men follow suit with their own grenades, covering their nose and mouth.  
  
  
  
“Go into the forest, past the cage!” Changmin commands. The tribe is struggling to breath, they’re too weak to stop them. He walks a few feet forward and acts on instinct, taking Yun by the arm and drawing him away.  
  
  
  
He has to push away a few of the weakened tribal men but makes it to the forest. His men are there, panting and coughing. Eunhyuk tells him, “Yesung must have made a run for it to the shore with the hostages. We need to get out of here.”  
  
  
  
Changmin agrees. Siwon points at Yun and says, “Why did you bring him along? He’s one of them!”  
  
  
  
He doesn’t know why he brought Yun along. Yun is coughing uncontrollably. In concern, Changmin takes out his water canteen and opens it. He presses it to Yun’s lips. The man swallows then shakes his head and backs away… but the coughing ceases. Changmin tells his men, “Go in the direction Yesung went. I will be a few minutes behind. Don’t come back into the forest, I’ll come to you.”  
  
  
  
“Why are you helping this savage?” Shindong asks snappishly. Changmin grinds his teeth. “Because I feel it is necessary. He is not like the others. Now go!”  
  
  
  
Minho seems hesitant to leave with the others. Changmin glares and nods in the men’s direction. Minho jogs away.  
  
  
  
Changmin turns to Yun, holding out a hand. “Thank you for the distraction you made.”  
  
  
  
Yun simply stares at the hand like it’s a snake. Then, just like he did with the banana, seizes Changmin’s hand roughly. He is startled but remains still as Yun explores his hand. Yun traces Changmin’s knuckles and veins… every ridge of his hand… then… licks it.  
  
  
  
That makes Changmin gasp. He realizes he has a cut on the heel of his palm. Yun is licking the small wound. _This is the weirdest experience of my life_ , Changmin is stunned. He has seen animals do this to help the healing process…  
  
  
  
His head snaps up when he hears some people coming and knows it’s the tribe. Pulling out his sword, he takes Yun by the arm again and runs. Changmin is a bit surprised Yun isn’t putting up a fight in following him. Cutting down the vegetation threatening to smack them in the face as they run proved no help. The tribal men must know some short-cut because they are ambushed in a matter of seconds upon reaching the misty clearing. A few tribal men take Yun away, and Changmin swings at them with his sword, and then suddenly everything goes black.  
  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
  
Changmin wakes up groggy, rubbing his head. A small bump had formed there. He is lying in a cage, hands tied behind his back, stripped down to just his pants. Looking out into the crowd, he spots Yun.  
  
  
  
Great. Just dandy. He doesn’t normally make such wrong decisions. And from the looks of this, he’s made a dire one. He should have listened to the others. At the very least, he hopes the others made it back to shore. A tribal member sees he’s awake and opens the cage, crying out for the others. Everyone watches as he’s pushed onto his knees, head landing onto a small wooden platform. Changmin’s cheek is pressed roughly into it. He glances up to see a man holding a stick with a large stone at the end of it.  
  
  
  
Well, fuck. He’s about to be executed! He wiggles against his binding but a foot stamps on his back. “Ugh!” Pain shoots up his spine.  
  
  
  
Minutes tick by… a song is sung as the tribal members kneel and worship. He can’t see Yun anymore. Changmin’s thoughts are frozen. His fingers begin to go numb. As he hears, “Aye! Aye! Aye!” his mind zeroes in on one old memory: when he proposed to Seohyun. He sees the executioner lift the weapon and closes his eyes.  
  
  
  
“I’ll see you soon, my love,” Changmin whispers into the breeze.  
  
  
  
He expects excruciating pain and then death, not a body falling on top of him. He opens his eyes and turns his head to see Yun covering him and saying things to the chief and executioner. Warm, slightly calloused hands grip Changmin’s back. It is obvious Yun is begging for Changmin’s release using some tribal dialect Changmin isn’t familiar with. There’s no way it’s going to work, though…the tribe appear hungry for blood to be shed.  
  
  
  
However, when the rope tying his hand together is cut, he gazes behind at Yun, who hasn’t let go of his back. “Thank you… Yun.”  
  
  
  
Yun makes Changmin stand up and face the crowd. From a clay bowl handed to him, Yun smudges Changmin’s chest with red paint. Then, Yun kneels before him, head bent lowly. Changmin is astonished to see the tribal members do the same thing. Taking him by the hand, Yun leads him away. Once they make it a few feet into the forest, Yun releases his hand and tries to walk back to the tribal area. Changmin flings arms out to grab him. “No! Please, come with me…”  
  
  
  
Yun stands paralyzed. Changmin takes advantage of the situation and takes Yun by the hand again, walking him further and further away from tribe.  
  
  
  
Yun doesn’t protest, but about half-way the wild man suddenly pushes away to climb a tree. Changmin cranks his head up, “Yun! Come back!”  
  
  
  
The other man does come back… with a big, round fruit. Yun knocks the shell of it open on a rock and scoops up a mushy, dark patch on the tail end of fruit. He eats it and hands some to Changmin. Curious about different cuisines, he figures it’s wise to try everything once. Changmin lets Yun feed him the mushy stuff. It takes like dark chocolate. _Delicious_ , Changmin smiles at Yun. The wild man blinks, throws the fruit away, and runs away.  
  
  
  
Luckily, Yun is running in the direction towards the shore, not the tribe. Changmin sprints after him. Laughter bubbles in his chest. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush of escaping a life-threatening situation. Or amusement at Yun’s jumpy antics. Either way, Changmin finds himself laughing.  
  
  
  
He catches up with Yun, pulling the other man to his side. Yun frets but eventually succumbs to Changmin’s touch. Looking deeply into bright brown eyes, Changmin wonders what Yun looks like behind the beard and dirt.  
  
  
  
“Captain! CAPTAIN!”  
  
  
  
Shouts from his men reach him. He tightens his hold on Yun as they meet his men half-way. Minho rushes to him, “Are you okay, captain? Where is your uniform jacket? Is that red stuff blood? We waited for hours. We were so worried.”  
  
  
  
Kyuhyun rolls his eyes. “Minho, quit your fretting. Can’t you see he’s fine… he’s got a naked man in his arms.”  
  
  
  
“Shut up, Kyuhyun,” Changmin says with no bite. “We got ambushed. This is just paint. Yun saved me.”  
  
  
  
“Yun?” Kangin repeats doubtfully. “It has a name?”  
  
  
  
“He’s not an _it_ , Kim,” Changmin reprimands. “He’s coming with us. Pack up the camp; we’re going back to the ship. Where are the tourists? How are they doing?”  
  
  
  
“We rowed them to the ship and got them settled in,” Kyuhyun responds. “We verified the names with the pictures. They’re a little malnourished, but Cook is taking care of that.”  
  
  
  
“Thank you, Kyuhyun,” Changmin is grateful at how efficient his men are. Taking a towel from Onew’s out-stretched hand, Changmin approaches Yesung and puts a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “Yesung, you were brilliant. Expect a merit for your quick-thinking and bravery.”  
  
  
  
Yesung bows to him. Minho comes to him and says, “There’s still more red stuff over here, Captain.” And even wipes of it off with his finger.  
  
  
  
Eunhyuk says loudly, “Look, he’s leaving!”  
  
  
  
Changmin spins around, knocking Minho out of the way. Yun is scampering back into the forest. “Yun! No!”  
  
  
  
Siwon and Shindong hold him back. Siwon says to him, “He’s a heathen. Let him go back to his people. Did he ask you to rescue him? Did he look in any danger with the tribe?”  
  
  
  
Changmin concedes. Siwon is right. In a way he had tried to kidnap Yun from his homeland. Remembering the smiles on the tribal people’s faces when they saw Yun and how Yun dances and gets them all riled, Changmin breathes in slowly. He is thankful to have met the wild man. He wouldn’t have entered the forest again, or if he had, he would have been dead meat. Other than fulfilling the terms of his jobs, meeting Yun brought alive something he thought had died inside him. After his wife’s death, Changmin at last feels a genuine interest for another human being.  
  
  
  
But Yun isn’t his.  
  
  
  
He can’t assume from the scene in the marketplace that Yun is abused here and take him away… unless Yun choses to leave with him. But that won’t happen, considering how the wild man ran away from him just now.  
  
  
  
He hates wasting time, but he wants to buy just a little bit more of it. Turning to his men, Changmin says casually, “Let’s go up to that marketplace and take some food with us. We probably won’t have any Taiwanese food for a while.”  
  
  
  
Kangin and Shindong give him a suspicious look. The others agree, too hungry to disagree. After walking around and prolonging their leave as long as possible, Changmin tells them to head back to the ship. At the shore near their small boat, Changmin scans the threshold of the forest, hoping against all odds he sees Yun peeking out from a tree. There’s not a creature in sight though. He smothers his discontent and rows away from Taiwan.  
  
  
  
On the ship, after anchoring away from the shore, Changmin collapses on his bed. The rescued missionaries can’t thank Changmin and his men enough. They’re nice people… Siwon particularly gets along with them. The crew is doing fine. The kitchen cabin is in order. Some of his men are resting and some playing card games. And he put Minho in charge of steering. He himself is overdue for some proper sleep. Changmin isn’t sure how long he dozes off into a dreamless slumber…

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin, captain of the Korean navy, meets a mysterious tribal man that will change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to rocketsprout for the beta!

A raucous from the upper deck wakes up Changmin. It pisses him off. It’s much too loud to ignore, though. Pulling on his uniform pants, Changmin climbs the steps to the upper deck. First he sees Minho, who looks nervous as he steers. The men are huddled around something. Shindong and Kangin are holding a struggling bundle. Changmin pushes Eunhyuk, Onew, and Yesung out of the way.  
  
  
“Enough, heathen!” Siwon says, holding up a Christ cross necklace at… _Yun!_  
  
  
Ignoring the shock and inexplicable joy at seeing the wild man once again, Changmin rushes forward, shoving Shindong and Kangin away to stand protectively in front of Yun. He senses relief in Yun’s gaze. Changmin glares at his men. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  
  
  
Kangin points at the angry red streak down his cheek, “Look at what he did! Damn savage! How did he even get on our ship!”  
  
  
“Did you do anything to provoke him, Kim?” Changmin asks steadily. Kangin snaps his mouth shut. He looks at all of them and asks, “Why didn’t any of you wake me up? You resort to cornering this man?”  
  
  
Kyuhyun mutters, “We figured we’d handle this ourselves without waking you.”  
  
  
“How? By beating him to death? Well, guess what, Kyuhyun, I woke up anyway from your misguided way of handling a stowaway.”  
  
  
Eunhyuk suggests promptly, “Shall we make him walk the plank?”  
  
  
Changmin growls, “For what? I owe this man, he saved my life.”  
  
  
Yesung offers calmly, “He shouldn’t be on our ship, Captain. He belongs with that tribe.”  
  
  
“If he _belongs_ there then what is he doing _here_?” Changmin’s question makes the men stare cautiously at Yun. “If he decided, for whatever reason, to sneak onto this ship then, he truly doesn’t belong there.”  
  
  
Satisfied his men have quietened down, Changmin turns to Yun, who is sitting on his hunches watching the argument carefully. He asks the man gently, “Yun, what are you doing here?”  
  
  
Changmin notes the bruise forming on Yun’s left cheek and tries but fails not to bark at the men. “Get back to work! I will deal with this until I give you further orders. For now, if I see any abuse on Yun, there will be hell to pay.”  
  
  
He grabs Yun and walks him towards his private cabin. Changmin observes Siwon clutching and praying over his cross. He snaps irritably at the religious officer, “For fuck’s sake, Siwon, this isn’t an exorcism. Get to work!”  
  
  
Minho stands in his way. “Captain, Kyuhyun wanted to man the helm. Can I get you anything?”  
  
  
Normally, he would brush the younger man off, but this time Changmin requests, “Yes, have a bath drawn in my quarters. And shaving supplies.”  
  
  
Minho salutes and scurries off. Once in the cabin, Yun pushes out of Changmin’s grasp to explore the room. Changmin watches the wild man curiously as he picks up every object and smells it twice… even opening Changmin’s closet to smell the clothes there. Next Yun pokes at the bed with a finger, like he’s testing the temperature of water, then hops on the mattress.  
  
  
Changmin smiles unconsciously. Minho knocks on the door and wobbles in with two large buckets of water balanced in his arms and a shaving razor held in his teeth.  
  
  
Taking the razor and a bucket from Minho, Changmin dumps the water into the four-legged tub in the corner of the cabin. The water is a bit too hot but it’s the way Changmin likes it. Hot water scorches away grime and kneads his aching muscles.  
  
  
Yun watches them from the bed. As Changmin readies the shaving items and locates a bar of soap, Yun crawls to the tub and peers into it. Minho splashes some water around teasingly. Yun yelps and hops on the bed again, looking at the tub in distaste.  
  
  
“Nice going, Minho,” Changmin rolls his eyes.  
  
  
“Sorry, captain,” Minho laughs. “He just looked so serious. Is he afraid?”  
  
  
Changmin approaches the bed slowly, saying, “Yun, you are covered in sweat and dirt. A bath is in order. It won’t hurt you… it will make you feel good, I promise.” He is speaking Korean unconsciously. Even if Yun doesn’t understand it, he needs to get used to hearing it.  
  
  
Yun frowns as if really concentrating on Changmin’s words. Instead of persuading him further, Changmin walks back and kneels by the tub, putting his hand into the water. “Ah! Feels so good!” He pretends to ignore the wild man and speaks only to Minho.  
  
  
In a matter of seconds, Yun is beside him. Changmin smiles slightly and flaps his hand on the surface of the water. “Take off your loin cloth and get in. The water feels great.” He pulls lightly on Yun’s loin cloth to help him understand directions.  
  
  
Yun edges away from him. “Okay, fine, leave it on,” Changmin releases the loin cloth. “Just get in the water… please.” He widens his eyes like he used to do with Seohyun when he wanted her to do something. He hears Minho sigh.  
  
  
Giving him a hard stare, Yun literally crawls into the tub but ends up plopping into the water. The wild man freaks out at the hot temperature. He must be used to the cool waters of the forest for baths.  
  
  
Changmin acts swiftly and begins rubbing the bar of soap on Yun’s shoulders. This causes the flailing man to freeze and grip the sides of the tub. Changmin tries to touch Yun with the indifference of a doctor. He can’t help but notice small details though. For instance, there are tiny scratches scattered on the tanned skin. His thoughts trail back to that vendor who abused Yun… he can only assume the violence happened often.  
  
  
Yun unfreezes when Changmin’s hands fall lower, moving the long hair to the side. Snatching the bar of soap, Yun begins scrubbing the rest of his body aggressively and even ducking under water to wet his hair. Water splashed over the edge of the tub. Changmin makes no move to stop him. He figures Yun needs the deep cleaning.  
  
  
“Minho, try to put some shaving cream on his face,” Changmin instructs. “The man is in dire need of a clean shave…” He anticipates ridding Yun of the beard… eager to reveal the face hidden behind it.  
  
  
“Ouch!” Minho cries. “He bit me!” Changmin stifles his laughter and takes the razor and shaving cream from Minho. “You can go now, I can take care of this,” he tells Minho. The younger man throws Yun a disgruntled look before leaving the cabin.  
  
  
Pretending to ignore Yun again, Changmin moves towards a small mirror and applies shaving cream on his face. He is due for a shave himself… he hasn’t shaved since they landed in Taiwan. He uses the stainless-steel, straight-edged razor carefully on his face… precisely shaving off the rough beard and mustache.  
  
  
Changmin notices Yun watching him with bits of shaving cream still smeared on his beard. After finishing, he presents his face to Yun. “See how smooth? That’s all this does.” He holds up the razor.  
  
  
Yun leans in to him with his chin lifted. Changmin spreads the white foam on Yun’s cheeks, jaw, chin, and upper lip. Tapping the other man’s cheek with the razor, Changmin inquires, “Do you trust me?”  
  
  
Squeezing his eyes shut, Yun nudges the razor with his face. Taking that as consent, Changmin runs the blade from the chin up to the cheekbones, repeating the process until the cheeks were smooth. Then he lifts Yun’s chin up to shave the hairs under and over the jawline.  
  
  
Changmin is in the zone. He isn’t processing what he’s seeing, just performing the task mechanically. It’s all done in a matter of minutes. He turns back to grab a towel and wipe Yun’s face. When the towel is lowered and Yun’s true face is revealed, clean and naked, Changmin’s breath is stolen from his body.  
  
  
This man…this wild man is what Changmin visualizes as the _perfect_ man. Beauty and strength in a small, triangular face is all Changmin processes. The eyes appear more luminous up close, dark brown and cat-like. Underneath them is the most perfectly sculpted nose. And below the nose are sliced strawberries for lips. The jutted out jawline settles the delicateness of the face and gives it strength.  
  
  
He finds himself slightly disturbed at how much he’s trying to memories every detail of this man’s face. Yun blinks, breaking eye-contact with him. Changmin snaps himself out of the trance and hands Yun the towel. He stands and sits on the bed to observe what Yun will do next.  
  
  
Appearing annoyed with the wet loin cloth, Yun unties it and throws it to the floor. Changmin looks away immediately, not sure why he’s suddenly shy to see another man naked. He’s seen his men naked numerous times, but he keeps his eyes averted as Yun steps out of the tub.  
  
  
 _Thump!_  
  
  
Changmin snaps his head up. Yun is on the floor. Eyes on Yun’s forehead, Changmin takes him by the arms and pulls him up. “Be careful, the floor is slippery.”  
  
  
They hold this position for a few heart beats, staring into each other’s eyes. A loud thud from the upper deck startles them both out of the staring match. Changmin steers Yun to sit on the bed and hastens to find something suitable for him wear. He needs something comfortable. Yun is obviously not used to wearing anything more than a loin cloth… he probably wouldn’t appreciate being stifled with a uniform. Changmin has an assortment of underwear, slacks, and button-down shirts in his small cabin dresser. Making a quick decision, because there is a naked man waiting on his bed, Changmin grabs a shirt and underwear.  
  
  
He places them on the bed next to Yun and waits. Nothing happens. Still keeping his eyes averted from the explicit nudity, Changmin points at the clothes and says, “Those are for you to wear.” He even makes a miming display of putting on clothes. Yun merely stares at him. Changmin can’t decide if the wild man just doesn’t want to cooperate or he is truly confused on how to put on clothes.  
  
  
Taking matters into his own hands, Changmin kneels and opens up the waistband of the underwear. “Here, put your legs through.” He lightly taps Yun’s right leg. With his eyes on the floor, he hears a rustle of movement and then stubby-toed feet step through the underwear holes.  
  
  
Looking is unavoidable then. Changmin’s eyes land briefly on the bare manhood in front of his face and gulps as he covers it up with the underwear. He stands and opens the shirt to wrap it around Yun’s shoulders and pull the man’s arms through the sleeves.  
  
  
Yun squirms and scratches his arms over the cotton sleeves as Changmin buttons up the shirt. Having cloth covering his chest and arms clearly makes Yun uncomfortable. Changmin hopes Yun will get used to it soon. He can’t have the foreign man walk around nearly naked or Siwon might douse Yun in holy water at every opportunity.  
  
  
The white shirt hangs to Yun’s mid-thighs and the sleeves half cover his hands…other than that, it seems to fit him snugly around the shoulders. Long, wet black hair curls at the ends but still looks tangled. Changmin grabs a hair brush from one of his drawers and sits Yun back on the bed. Upon seeing the brush, Yun scurries backwards until he is at the top end of the bed, eyeing the hair brush suspiciously.  
  
  
“It won’t hurt you,” Changmin comforts, getting on the bed too. “See…” And he demonstrates the use of the brush.  
  
  
Yun takes the hair brush from him during mid-brush and starts tugging on his own hair with it. He whimpers when it snags on a tangle, tugging on his scalp painfully. Changmin untangles the hair from the brush’s teeth. Running a hand soothingly down the head of the upset man, Changmin settles him down and begins brushing the hair himself. He sits in front so Yun doesn’t feel threatened.  
  
  
Changmin concentrates on not hurting Yun, fisting each chunk of hair in his hand so that it doesn’t pull hard on the scalp. It takes a while to get all the tangles out. Once the mane of hair was tangle-free, it looks shiny and soft. It dries straight, looking like silk around Yun’s face… and oh that face, how —  
  
  
What the hell is wrong with him? Why is he focusing on the details of another man’s features so much? He stands abruptly to dry the wet area around the tub with a towel. He hears some movement and rustling of sheets behind him but focuses on cleaning. When he finishes, he looks back at the bed. With the bed sheets in disarray at his feet, Yun is fast asleep. Asleep in a way that looks like he hasn’t slept properly in years, with his mouth hanging open and arms sprawled out. Without hesitation, Changmin covers him. The poor man needs rest.  
  
  
He’s actually still sleepy himself, having been forced out of his slumber by his men. Eyelids heavy, Changmin lies on top of the covers for a snooze. _Just for a few minutes…_  
  
  
Minutes must have turned into hours. The tiny window on one side of the cabin tells Changmin it is nightfall. Yawning, he flips onto his other side. He sucks in a sharp breath. Yun’s sleeping face almost touches his. Changmin takes this moment to figure out his fascination with that face. The wave of familiarity hits him again. Maybe he has met a man that looks similar to Yun in the past…  
  
  
Yun’s lower lip is sticking out in a pout…he must be having a bad dream. Yet, Changmin doesn’t have the heart to wake him. He rises to go tend to his duties as captain. The men will probably need to have a few words with him.  
  
  
And boy do they have words. After checking on the missionaries and crew, Changmin goes to the kitchen cabin for supper. The kitchen is right across from his room; Changmin always plans it this way so he will have easy access to food. He walks in and Cook, a portly man with a constant twinkle in his eyes, greets him. His men are in the kitchen too. The moment they spot Changmin, they stop talking. Changmin rolls his eyes inwardly and takes the sandwich Cook offers him.  
  
  
He walks over to stand next to Kyuhyun, then sits on the wooden table and asks offhandedly, “Staging a coup, are we?”  
  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kyuhyun says.  
  
  
“Am I being ridiculous to wonder why my men have turned into complete heartless asses over one man?” Changmin counters.  
  
  
“He is not civilized, captain!” Kangin bursts out. “Jongkook isn’t going to like this!”  
  
  
Changmin swallows the bite of bread and ham in his mouth then says, “Don’t worry about Jongkook. I’ll take care of it.”  
  
  
“What are you going to tell him this time?” Yesung inquires with a resigned look. “He didn’t appreciate us bringing home that Japanese woman a year ago.”  
  
  
Changmin says defensively, “How was I supposed to know she was the daughter of a nobleman? She begged for help to leave the country.”  
  
  
Yesung consents, “Okay, I’ll give you that one. But this man you’ve brought… what’s the reason there?”  
  
  
“I didn’t bring him on the ship remember? He stowed away on his own.”  
  
  
“Yes, but you gave him enough time to do it,” Yesung assesses shrewdly. “You stalled our departure. Even when you came out of the forest, you were planning on taking him home with us, weren’t you?”  
  
  
Changmin can’t dispute that fact. His initial intention after Yun saved his life was to take him to Korea with them. As _uncivilized_ as the man seems to be, Yun doesn’t look like he fits in with the tribe. Not with the way he responds to Changmin…and especially now that he is cleaned up and sleeping in Changmin’s bed.  
  
  
He devours the rest of his sandwich silently, letting Yesung’s question hang in the tense air between him and his men. The kitchen door slamming open breaks the silence. Yun sniffs his way in, spotting Changmin immediately but making no move to come closer. Yun is watching the other men cautiously. Nobody makes any movements. Cook, however, steps close to Yun to hand him a sandwich.  
  
  
After sniffing the food in Cook’s hand, Yun glances at Changmin, who nods and says, “Go ahead. Eat it. Cook will be hurt if you don’t eat what he made.”  
  
  
Yun grabs the sandwich with one hand and stuffs it into his mouth. Changmin winces at the lack of table manners. He hears Shindong mumble the word: “ _Savage_ ” and resorts indignantly, “As if you don’t shove food in your mouth when you’re starving, Shindong.”  
  
  
The men all let out a reluctant laugh. Their amusement must have alerted Yun it’s safe to approach. Changmin pulls out a chair and tells him to sit. Yun looks at the chair, then Changmin, then back at the chair. Strangely, Yun gets on his hands and knees to crawl up the chair and plop down in it. But Yun doesn’t sit traditionally…he squats with his legs spread and hands supporting himself on the seat of the chair. The posture is akin to that of a cat sitting on his hind legs, and with the way those feline eyes pierce straight through all of them, lingering longer on the captain, Changmin is convinced that Yun must be part-cat.  
  
  
It is fortunate Yun is wearing underwear otherwise _things_ would be hanging out… not that Changmin is looking. It is _unfortunate_ that Yun is seated by Siwon. The extremely religious man is fearfully staring at the wild man’s long mane and posture. Pulling out the cross from under his uniform shirt, Siwon mutters incoherently to it. Yun tilts his head, staring at the religious symbol curiously. While Siwon has his eyes closed, probably praying for the salvation of the man before him, Yun pulls on the cross necklace. Siwon yelps and is now face-to-face with Yun. Changmin almost does something to stop him from offending Siwon, but then Yun does the most curious thing: he encloses the cross in his palm, closes his eyes, and presses his lips to his fist.  
  
  
Siwon is stunned. When Yun finishes, he releases the hold on the necklace and reverts back to his original position. Siwon blinks at Yun and asks Changmin, “Does he speak?” All the men are peering at Yun fascinatedly.  
  
  
“I heard him negotiate my freedom with his tribe in some dialect of Chinese,” Changmin tell his men. “But he hasn’t spoken a word to me since. Either he doesn’t understand other dialects or doesn’t want to try communicating. He does everything through action from what I’ve seen.”  
  
  
Siwon asks, “What’s his name?”  
  
  
“Yun.”  
  
  
“The name is definitely Taiwanese,” Onew comments offhandedly.  
  
  
Siwon sticks out his hand to Yun and says, “Nice to meet you, Yun. I am Siwon.”  
  
  
Yun stares at the hand and grabs it with both of his, yanking too hard. Siwon cries out, “Damn, he’s strong! Make him let go!”  
  
  
Changmin disconnects their hands forcibly. “He’s rusty on… social decorum.”  
  
  
“Rusty?” Kyuhyun snorts. Changmin ignores him. He thread his fingers through one section of Yun’s hair; it is only a little tangled from sleep. The face is still freshly shaved. He resists the urge to feel, knowing his men are watching his every move.  
  
  
“Uh, Captain?” Minho speaks up. “Earlier I entered your cabin to see if you were alright and saw… um…”  
  
  
“Saw what?” Changmin frowns.  
  
  
Kangin rolls his eyes and answers for a stuttering Minho, “He saw you and _Yun_ sharing a bed.”  
  
  
Despite being pleased Kangin didn’t use terms like _savage_ , Changmin doesn’t care for the judgmental tone. He maintains sarcastically, “We’ve all had to share beds before, what’s your point?”  
  
  
“That was out of necessity, Changmin,” Kangin drops the honorific. “Minho told us he found you snuggled pretty close to him.”  
  
  
He feels judged and cornered even though nothing happened in that bed. And even if it did…no, he probably shouldn’t go there.  
  
  
Changmin suppresses the urge to yell. “Why is this turning into the Spanish Inquisition? Yun fell asleep and I decided to get a little shut eye myself. I don’t have to defend myself to —”  
  
  
Someone grabs his hand. Yun is inspecting the small wound found in the forest. It is just a light scar now but Yun runs his tongue across it. Changmin’s stomach flip-flops. All the men gasp. Cook comes by casually and lays a cloth napkin on Yun’s knee.  
  
  
“For his mouth,” Cook says gruffly. Yun has a bit of sauce from the sandwich staining the corner of his mouth.  
  
  
Yun drops Changmin’s hand and picks up the napkin with his thumb and index finger; he sniffs the napkin.  
  
  
Surprisingly, Siwon lifts the other end of the napkin and pretends to wipe his mouth, trying to show Yun what to do with it. Yun mimics the action, wiping the spot off his mouth. It seems Changmin has found an unlikely ally. He sends Siwon a grateful look.  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
Changmin is standing on the top deck, gazing at Yun. He had decided to take Yun for a tour around the ship, to show him around. Naturally, the tourists knew who Yun is. A woman in the group said to him, “This man helped us. We couldn’t understand the language, of course, but he would sneak us extra food and stand quietly by our cage at night.”  
  
  
The crew all eyed Yun in fear, like he is a curse upon their ship. Changmin had glared and made it clear Yun was not to be harmed.  
  
  
Now watching the sea breeze sweep Yun’s hair from side-to-side, Changmin wishes he knew how to draw. He wants to capture this serene moment. Yun is looking out to sea with a lost expression.  
  
  
“You wanted to be here, right?” Changmin asks, even when he knows the man won’t answer him verbally. Yun looks at him then kneels at Changmin’s feet. Kyuhyun, who is piloting the ship, stares at them with a frown.  
  
  
Embarrassed, Changmin lifts Yun up by the arms. “Please, don’t kneel. I am no king or prince or any type of master to you and you are not an animal. You are a human being. Stand on your two feet always.” Changmin is speaking all of this in Korean. It just comes more naturally. But he swears Yun understands him… he can see a level of intelligence deeper than what is on the surface.  
  
  
Hands squeezing Yun’s arms, Changmin says, “Please feel free to roam the ship however you please. And go to Cook whenever you are hungry. I need to go tend to the maps and navigation.”  
  
  
Yun backs away, walking with a sort of twitch. Changmin goes to Kyuhyun, who says to him, “Are you sure that was wise? Shouldn’t you keep close surveillance on him?”  
  
  
“It’ll be fine.” Changmin studies the map and takes a hold of the wheel. The wind is starting to pick up quickly. Changmin surveys the ominous gray clouds worriedly; looks like a storm is brewing.  
  
  
Sometime later, he sees a man climbing the wooden masts of the sails. Shindong comes running up to him. “Do you know where your savage is?”  
  
  
“Yun!” Changmin shouts. “Come down from there! It’s dangerous!”  
  
  
Yun turns his head in the captain’s direction quickly. He is hugging the mast and hiding half his face. Cute. Changmin folds his lips in to control his amusement. Yun eventually comes down after reaching the very top and stretching out an arm to feel the breeze.  
  
  
Shindong leaves muttering aggressively. Changmin is staring intently at his compass when Yun suddenly appears beside him. “Well, hello. Did you think you could hide yourself behind the mast? You mustn’t do that again. It’s dangerous, you could fall.”  
  
  
Yun bites his lips and caresses the thick handles of the helm wheel. Changmin asks, “Would like to learn how to steer?” The other man looks hopeful at the offer.  
  
  
Encouraged, Changmin pulls Yun over to take his place at the wheel; Changmin stands behind him. He curls Yun’s hands over two handles, keeping his own hands over both to guide the steering. Yun’s hair tickles his face but Changmin doesn’t mind. They stay like that for maybe an hour. Taking one hand off the wheel, he shows Yun the compass.  
  
  
“You see how it’s pointing north? That means we’re headed in the right direction.” Yun releases the wheel and turns in Changmin’s arms. He snatches the compass to study it closely. Changmin helms the ship while watching Yun’s cute puckered brow and endearing open-mouthed wonderment.  
  
  
The wind is picking up. Minho jogs towards him. “Captain, I think we’re nearing a bad storm!”  
  
  
“Yes, I can surmise that,” Changmin licks a finger and raises it towards the sky. “Tell the crew I’m going to steers us more west… the storm is moving towards the east.”  
  
  
Minho stares dumbly at Yun, who is still encircled in the arms of the captain, and doesn’t respond immediately. “Yes… Yes, sir.”  
  
  
Changmin twists the steering wheel sharply to the left. Yun stops scrutinizing the compass to watch the ship change its course steadily. “We are trying to deter the ship so we’re not in the eye of the storm. Hang on tight, Yun!” Changmin says loudly with Yun still in-between him and the wheel. He couldn’t resist squeezing in to the back of Yun’s warm body.  
  
  
Changmin is pretty sure some virus has addled his brain. The men all have come on deck to tighten up the sails, and all of them keep glancing at him and muttering amongst themselves.  
  
  
Yun’s hair blows into his face and Changmin inhales deeply. _Hm. Let them mutter._  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
Heavy rain, gusty winds, and a whole lot of shouting swarm the ship in a matter of minutes after sailing under the grey clouds. The ship is swaying, upturning, and plunging with the crushing waves. Changmin runs to help his men control the sails.  
  
  
Kyuhyun is shouting from the helm, “Captain!” as the wheel spins wildly out of control. Changmin hurries over and grabs at it, adding his strength to Kyuhyun's and fighting the force of the turbulent ocean to bring the ship back under control.  
  
  
“Keep west!” He yells over the raging storm.  
  
  
All of a sudden, a lady screams. Changmin looks around frantically. One of the missionary ladies is pointing up as she hangs onto mast for dear life. Following the direction of her finger, Changmin spots Yun up on the sails again.  
  
  
“Fuck!” Changmin trips as he ran. “Yun! Come down!”  
  
  
Yun ignores him and stretches out an arm — in a prayer of some sort. No, there is no time for that kind of tribal nonsense. He yells again. Yun looks down. Just then, lightning strikes near the ship causing Yun to let go in fright. The foolish man is falling!  
  
  
Blood pounding his veins, Changmin lines himself up with the direction of the fall. Siwon has also come to help. Yun lands with a bone crushing flop. Changmin goes down; crumpling onto his back painfully but Yun’s head alights on his chest. He gets the wind knocked out of him, and like the storm, anger starts to howl inside him.  
  
  
Yun’s legs had been caught by Siwon. The naval man looks a bit winded too. Changmin sits up groaning and pulls Yun to sit up too. His fury explodes, “I told you to never do that again and you disobeyed me! You could have died! That lightning could have struck you! What if I wasn’t here to catch you? Are you stupid? Do you want to die?” Changmin shakes Yun. “I am captain, you follow MY orders!”  
  
  
The howling of the wind slows down as does the rain. Everyone is watching them. His men are stunned. Yun looks dismayed, moving back then running away. Changmin sighs, wiping his forehead and rubbing his eyes.  
  
  
“Captain,” Kangin steps forward. “The storm has eased.”  
  
  
Changmin is embarrassed at losing his temper like that. He says, “Clean up what you can now. Kyuhyun, keep steering us west but not too close to the Chinese coast.” And he leaves to trace Yun’s escape path.  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
Changmin finds Yun in the captain’s cabin, huddled with his knees up on the bed. Changmin shuts the door. “Yun.”  
  
  
Yun looks up like a beaten puppy readying himself for more punishment. _The yelling was hardly punishment_ , he tries to assure himself. Smothering down the guilt, Changmin is certain he had every right to yell at the man. What a fool! What sane person climbs up a sail in the middle of a storm to pray? He could have prayed safely from deck, damn it!  
  
  
Taking a deep breath to find his center and control his rising temper, Changmin sits next to Yun. He touches the wary man’s face. “You worried me. I had so many responsibilities to take care of and got distracted because of your foolish act. You need to follow my orders. This is my ship and I’m only looking out for your safety. You came aboard this ship to escape your old life. Please, you have to trust me.”  
  
  
Yun slackens to nuzzle against Changmin’s hand. Changmin smiles, anger forgotten. Yun stops nuzzling to lean up. Changmin’s hand drops. _Oh my… is Yun going to kiss me? And why am I not moving away?_  
  
  
But no kiss comes. Instead, Yun sticks his tongue out and licks the side of Changmin’s face. His cheeks burn up at the uninhibited sexual gesture. Looking into Yun’s eyes, though, tells him Yun does not mean to seduce. Nonetheless, the innocently eager eyes coupled with the sensual lick punch Changmin straight in the gut. Lust lashes through his body. _Lust?_ Changmin thinks in confusion. _I haven’t known lust since Seohyun… since…_  
  
  
How can this be? This is highly inappropriate and unprofessional of him. To distract himself, he says, “You’re soaked. You need dry clothes.”  
  
  
He goes to his dresser and takes out another shirt and underwear. Maybe he should try to get Yun to wear pants too. When he turns around, Yun is naked and waiting. Fuck! Changmin genuinely panics, keeping his eyes on safe spots like Yun’s ear. He notices the wet shirt is still buttoned. He needs to teach Yun how to button a shirt.  
  
  
First, Changmin puts the shirt on him. The shirt is at least long enough to cover up private parts. He threads a middle button through the corresponding tiny loop. Then, he takes Yun’s hands to manipulate the other man’s fingers to do the same. Yun catches on quickly and buttons up with only minimal help from him. Yun is able to put the underwear on by himself.  
  
  
“Rest now. I’ll be back a little later.” Changmin’s muscles ached… he wished he could climb into bed for a long nap, but duty calls. He cannot neglect his men or his ship.  
  
  
Once on deck, Changmin glowers, daring them all to make a snide comment. But no one says anything concerning Yun. Even Kangin and Shindong keep their mouths shut and just follow orders. After consulting the map and compass, he takes over the steering and drives the ship more east. They cannot get too close to the Chinese coast. They are already too close now. Changmin worries what they might come across.  
  
  
He returns to the cabin at dinner time. He means to collect Yun and go to the kitchen for food. But when he sits on the bed, his body screams for rest. Yun is snoring softly next to him. Changmin drifts off to dream-land with that comforting sound lulling him.  
  
  
He opens his eyes to darkness some time later. He twists the knob of the lantern on the nightstand. Yun is awake, bright eyes watching him. Changmin settles back onto the bed, facing the other man. Yun reaches out to touch the ring on Changmin’s finger. His wedding ring. Some might say it is unhealthy to be hanging on to something that symbolizes a relationship that doesn’t exist anymore, but Changmin cannot let it go. The ring is simple and solid gold. It is not hurting anyone to remain on his finger. He will never find anyone to love as much Seohyun, so there is no point to remove it.  
  
  
Yun, however, seems insistent to remove it. Changmin reluctantly obliges; it takes a little work to twist the ring off his finger. Yun holds it close to his eyes. Changmin explains, “That is my wedding ring. I was married, you see. Her name was Seohyun.” In his dresser drawer, Changmin takes out an old picture carefully. Yun leans in to look at the picture, his head beneath Changmin’s chin.  
  
  
The black and white photo was from their wedding day. He still vividly recalls the colors of their formal hanboks: Seohyun was in a cerulean chima with a pink jeogori and Changmin in a dark green durumagi lined with white at the collar. They were smiling and holding each other. Hot tears prickle at the back of his eyes. “She was my wife. She died of cancer a few years ago.”  
  
  
Yun stares at him. Changmin says defensively, “I know she’s dead. I know. But there’s no reason to let her memory die. I loved her then and I love her still. So what if she was taken away from me prematurely? I’ve made my peace with it.”  
  
  
Uncontrollably, the tears slide down his face. “She was so young, so beautiful. How is it fair that she died and there are murders and violent monsters still alive in this world?”  
  
  
He gasps when Yun licks the tears away. Changmin smiles when Yun swallows the tears. “Aren’t they salty? Is this your way of kissing? That is not how humans kiss, you know.”  
  
  
Why is he saying all this? Why can’t he keep his mouth shut? It’s like he is implying he want to _show_ Yun how humans kiss. _Shut up, you idiot, shut up_.  
  
  
He quickly put his ring back on and returns the picture to the drawer. “Are you hungry? Let me go grab some plates from Cook.”  
  
  
Yun stands and follows him to the door. Changmin really doesn’t want to have to deal with the men and Yun in the same room but he lets Yun come with him anyway. The wild man has been in the cabin for hours.  
  
  
Cook greets them. “Captain Shim, how are you? I was just about to take food to the crew.”  
  
  
“Thank you, Cook.”  
  
  
Cook asks Yun in a warm voice, “Are you hungry? That table is full of a variety of food. Lots of seafood, which is probably what you’re used to. Oh and don’t mind the surly guys sitting there. They’re all bark and no bite.”  
  
  
“Hey!” The men exclaim. Cook shakes his head. “Fine. Fine. Some of you bite.”  
  
  
Changmin laughs, leading Yun to a chair. Yun sits on it in that strange position of his and looks at the buffet hungrily. Changmin says, “Go on. Eat.”  
  
  
Just as he starts taking the first bite of flounder, the men gasp and a few make disgusted sounds. Yun’s face is almost all covered in food as he eats like the meal will run away from him. Changmin grabs a napkin and captures Yun’s right hand with it. He wipes off the mess and does the same with other hand. Then goes after the bits of food stuck to that handsome face. Yun struggles against the ministration akin to a child who refuses to be clean. Changmin is forced to hold Yun’s chin to get him to cooperate.  
  
  
He throws the dirty cloth napkin away. “Yun, eat like this.” Changmin demonstrates the proper way to eat with a fork and knife. Yun side-eyes the knife and fork in each hand and sighs in frustration. Changmin bites his lips to conceal a grin.  
  
  
He tries to show the use of chopsticks, but they are disregarded soon after Yun almost takes Kangin’s eyes out when he hurdles them away in exasperation.  
  
  
It is awkward at first, with a few messy blunders, but Yun finally gets the hang of it. Even though, the knife and fork are held in a fist, and that’s not proper etiquette, Changmin smiles encouragingly. It is a start at least.  
  
  
The rest of the day is spent performing his regular duties around the ship. Yun tags along with him, touching and sniffing everything twice. That includes people. He sniffs every missionary and even his crew. Yun never approaches Changmin’s men though, except for Siwon. He must not be comfortable with the others just yet.  
  
  
For the most part, the men treat Yun like he is a toddler out to cause trouble and so he must be watched at all times — that last bit is actually Changmin’s order. He doesn’t want another _climbing-on-the-sails_ fiasco again.  
  
  
The late night comes. Changmin is almost falling asleep at the wheel. Next to him, Yun is swaying with his eyes closed. He calls Minho. “Take charge for a few hours. I’ll let the others know to come and give you a rest.”  
  
  
“Y-Yes, Captain,” Minho sounds nervous. “Captain? I need to talk to you about something.”  
  
  
Oh no. This is it. Changmin sighs. “What is it, Minho?”  
  
  
“I… I need to… um.”  
  
  
“Today, Minho.”  
  
  
“Right. Uh, sorry. I know this will sound completely inappropriate and wrong. But I’ve admired you from the moment we met. You are a strong navy man and a good captain. You can be harsh on us but that just means you care. So, I wanted to say… wanted you to finally know that… I’m in love… with you.”  
  
  
 _Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy._ Changmin is going to end up breaking this kid’s heart. “Minho, I — I think you’re a great and loyal man. But… I don’t feel _that way_ about you. I’m sure you will find someone who —”  
  
  
He never finishes his sentence because Minho is all over him, kissing him on the lips. Changmin stands there, unresponsive, and lets the man have his fill, satisfying Minho’s curiosity and longing. Changmin feels nothing significant from the kiss other than the cold realization that it has been years since he had been kissed by anyone.  
  
  
Changmin pulls Minho away gently but firmly. “I’m flattered, Minho. But _this_ cannot happen.”  
  
  
“Why not?” Minho whispers.  
  
  
Changmin hates having to explain himself and so responds with some impatience, “I don’t have romantic feelings for you, that’s why. Minho, I’m sorry. I hope you will continue to stay under my guidance. I enjoy having you part of my team.”  
  
  
Minho looks so bummed out; Changmin tries hard not to feel bad. He wishes he can summon up any sort of romantic interest in Minho… then maybe, he won’t be so alone. His bed grows colder minute-by-minute, day-by-day, year-by-year. Sometimes he finds himself waking up in the middle of the night, agitated and aching for someone. For a few years, he imagined Seohyun. But now, his imagination can’t quite give his dream-person a true form.  
  
  
Unbelievably blunt, Minho asks, “Is this about… your deceased wife? Because I can wait —”  
  
  
Changmin snaps, “That is too presumptuous of you, Minho!”  
  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Captain!” Minho bows his head. “I’ll take over the helm, you can go rest now. I’m sorry, Captain, I’m sorry…”  
  
  
Changmin pinches the bridge of his nose. “Stop apologizing. Let’s not make this more awkward than it has to be. You still plan to remain one of my men after we return home?”  
  
  
Minho’s expression becomes professional and he salutes. “Aye, aye, Captain!”  
  
  
Changmin cough. Strange boy, but at least he is not immature or a psychotic romantic fool. When he turns to collect Yun, he is surprised to see Yun glaring at Minho.  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
Lying under the covers, Changmin stares at the ceiling. Some moonlight is coming in through the small cabin window. He is worn out but also restless. And he isn’t the only one. Yun can’t seem to lie still. Changmin turns on the lantern. Yun sits up instantly and looks at him.  
  
  
“Are you okay, Yun?” Changmin leans in closely to gaze into Yun’s eyes. His nose gets licked. “I do not have a wound or tears spilling down my nose. So I can only assume you’re trying to give me a kiss goodnight?” His tone is light with teasing.  
  
  
Yun points up then to Changmin’s lips. Ah. He must be referring to the kiss with Minho. If Yun is gesturing then the man comprehends everything Changmin says. Or he could just be trying to tell Changmin something.  
  
  
“Yes, Minho kissed me. If felt strange to be kissed again.”  
  
  
Yun touches Changmin’s lips with a finger. Parting his lips, Changmin asks in wonder, “You want to try it?” Yun retreats, leaning back with wide eyes. Changmin doesn’t dare move; he sits still with limp hands on his knees. He fears frightening Yun away and so waits for the other man to come to him… if his assumption is correct, of course.  
  
  
Yun crawls to him, gawks then moves in with a bit of tongue sticking out. Changmin almost jerks back at the first wet caress to his lips. Yun licks Changmin’s bottom and upper lip, then the outline of his lips messily. He has no idea what to do or how to respond. The small pink tongue licks a fire inside Changmin, despite its inexpert enthusiasm. Unable to keep still, Changmin catches that tongue with his mouth. Yun freezes. Changmin begins to gently suck.  
  
  
Yun lets out a short squeak and pushes away, scrabbling off the bed to sit on his hunches on the floor. Changmin wets his lips and tastes cool rain on a spring afternoon: Yun’s flavor. Turning on his side away from Yun, Changmin turns off the lantern. “Goodnight, Yun.”  
  
  
Best pretend what happened is not a big deal… for both their sakes.  
  
  
*~~*  
  
  
The following morning Yun is not in the bed. Changmin runs on deck without a shirt to see where the wild man wandered off to.  
  
  
 _Chaos_ , Changmin thinks as he watches his men and Yun engage in a game of dodge ball. Except there is no ball. This game consists of Yun dodging all the men. Onew, in particular, is trying to call order whilst holding a pair of scissors.  
  
  
“It’s just a haircut, Yun!” Onew shouts desperately. “Yesung, stop him!”  
  
  
Yesung is successful in catching up with Yun and blocking his path of escape. Yun lets out a growl. “Come on, man. Don’t you want to look pretty for the Captain? That long hair of yours is a mess!”  
  
  
Siwon saunters up to block another path. “This is a military vessel. You must follow regulations.”  
  
  
Kyuhyun laughs. “I think he bypassed the dress code since Changmin allows him to walk around in that oversized shirt.”  
  
  
Kangin throws in a jab, “Like Changmin follows the dress code! He won’t cut his hair. Jongkook will have aneurysm over it one day.”  
  
  
Eunhyuk remarks, “What if the Captain doesn’t want us cutting Yun’s hair? I don’t think he cares to be overly strict with Yun.”  
  
  
Yesung tackles Yun and holds him down with the help of Onew and Siwon. Onew manages to snip a handful of hair before Yun bites them all and they let go at once. “May God have mercy on you,” Siwon laments as he rubs his bruised wrist.  
  
  
Changmin wants to cry and laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. He notices Minho off to the side not doing anything, just watching.  
  
  
Purely for his own entertainment, Changmin yells, “What the fuck is in your heads, sailors?” He likes to see the momentary flicker of fear on their faces. Yun runs over to him and hides behind his back. Changmin ask him quietly over his shoulder, “Why did you leave the bed so early?”  
  
  
Yun stares up at him then runs back in the direction of the cabin. Shaking his head, Changmin faces his men. “Nice job, gentlemen. Really, you made a breakthrough.”  
  
  
“Really?” Siwon lightens up. Changmin rolls his eyes. “No! You’ve made things worse by cornering him. You all need a lesson in the art of taming. You can’t be aggressive. You have to coax and be gentle but firm and patient. And obedience will come to you.”  
  
  
Yesung hits him with the subtle criticism, “Like when you yelled at Yun in front of everyone?”  
  
  
“What are you trying to say, Yesung? That I don’t know what I’m doing?” Changmin asks dangerously.  
  
  
Shrugging and taking the scissors from Onew, Yesung responds, “Oh no, nothing like that. I just think you’ve begun to care _too much_.”  
  
  
Onew is shaking his head at Yesung, begging him to stop with absurd hand motions. Changmin moves Onew out of the way and snatches the scissors from Yesung. “I don’t appreciate the implication that I am being unprofessional.”  
  
  
“What else do you call letting a wild tribal man/refugee sleep in your bed?” Yesung holds up his hand defensively. “I’m not judging, Captain. I just think you’re leaving a lot unsaid by not admitting to the fact that you’re becoming attached to that man.”  
  
  
No. That’s not it. How does Changmin even begin to acknowledge feelings likes these when he has been alone for so long? Changmin walks away, bellowing, “GET BACK TO WORK!”  
  
  
When he enters his cabin, Yun is lying in the tub with no water. Changmin approaches. “I’m sorry about them. They were being idiots forcing you to cut your hair like that.”  
  
  
Yun starts playing with his hair, threading through the uneven locks. Kneeling down by the tub, Changmin rubs a silky strand of hair between his fingers. “I know all about not wanting to cut your hair. There’s a freedom to it. But we can’t keep your hair like this. It’s too uneven.”  
  
  
Yun blinks as if in agreement. Holding up the scissors slowly, Changmin implores, “May I? I just want to fix it by making it even again.”  
  
  
In answer, Yun stands inside the tub and faces Changmin with his back, standing still as a statue. After pulling down the hem of Yun’s shirt where it has snagged on his underwear, Changmin measures out how much to cut by clamping sections of hair with his index and middle finger. He circles around the mane, cutting as slowly and efficiently as possible, though he isn’t an expert barber.  
  
  
By the time he is done, Yun’s hair length is at the base of his neck. Yun turns back around, hair bouncing. Changmin smiles, “There. That wasn’t so bad. Your hair won’t get as tangled now.”  
  
  
He brushes through the hair, making sure it looks adequately even. His eyes glance at Yun’s lips, wondering if Yun is going to try and lick him again. Part of Changmin is desperate for him to do it and another part is scared of what will follow.  
  
  
Yun touches his newly cut hair then slowly leans in… a lick of gratitude is coming no doubt. Changmin gulps as the lick lands on his lips, not his cheek. When Changmin slides his own tongue out to taste Yun, the wild man ducks and sits in the tub again.  
  
  
Evading will not work this time. Changmin isn’t going to let Yun escape the intimate attention. Last night, Changmin could understand the shocked reaction because it’s probably the first time the strange man experienced the art of kissing. But now, Yun is gazing up at him guardedly but with a spark of eagerness.  
  
  
Sinking to his knees, Changmin leans forward, sticking the tip of his tongue out. Head tilted, Yun regards it curiously then shifts forward to stroke Changmin’s tongue with his. They begin lapping at each other shyly. It is such a bizarre experience but strangely erotic. He wants to capture that tongue with its mouth in a full kiss but the cabin door bangs open.  
  
  
“Captain!”  
  
  
Changmin jerks back. Kyuhyun is behind him wearing an unfocused, frantic expression. Good. He is relieved Kyuhyun didn’t see anything. The urgency in Kyuhyun’s stance spikes his nerves, though. Steeling himself for the bad news, Changmin asks, “What happened?”  
  
  
Pale in the face, Kyuhyun answers flatly, “Pirates.”  
  


 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin, captain of the Korean navy, meets a mysterious tribal man that will change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to rocketsprout for the beta!

_Damn it all to hell and back!_

 

Through the binoculars, Changmin zooms in on the black ship in the distance, focusing specifically on its flag. A fat man sits holding a red and black crest with a blue dragon lying behind him, snarling threateningly; all notorious insignias of Chinese pirates. Just what they needed after a rescue mission. Changmin sighs deeply, pondering quickly on the best plan of action.

 

“Maybe we should just bomb it,” Kyuhyun suggests.

 

Changmin lowers the binoculars. “No, it’s not wise to start anything before we know what we’re up against. Besides, we have passengers aboard this ship. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

 

Kyuhyun nods. “I’ll go warn the crew.”

 

“Kyuhyun,” Changmin says gravely. “Load up the cannons. And confine the tourists to one of the cabin rooms. It’s best they don’t roam around on deck if shit goes flying.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Yun, who is standing beside him, takes the binoculars and places them over his eyes backwards. Even in the midst of a looming threat, Changmin chuckles. He flips the binoculars around in the right direction, standing behind Yun, he places them back on the other’s eyes. “There you go. See that ship some feet away… they are a threat to us. We have to fight them somehow.”

 

Yun looks back at him, their faces are close. Changmin wants to resume the licking from before. But now isn’t the time. They have a battle to win first!

 

All the men and a few spare crew members gather on the quarterdeck as Changmin steers. They’re almost near the pirate ship. If it wasn’t for the storm, they would have stayed on track. By detouring so far towards the Chinese coast, the risk of running into the infamous Chinese pirates is high.

 

Kangin proclaims, “I think we should start shooting them.”

 

“Some of the crew are on standby to fire if these pirates act quickly before negotiations,” Changmin looks around. “Where’s Yun?”

 

Eunhyuk rolls his eyes. “Onew got it into his head to dress Yun properly before battle.”

 

Changmin raises his eyebrows. “And Yun went with him?”

 

“Yep. Odd, right? He — whoa!”

 

He follows Eunhyuk’s line of vision. Yun is walking with Onew. This Yun is wearing pants and boots with the white shirt Changmin originally lent him. The pants are a bit tight and the black boots are pulled over the legs of the pants. Changmin strains to keep his eyes away from the perfectly proportional thighs to focus on the steering.

 

“It was a struggle and I got a punch to the arm and a bite on my finger, but I managed it!” Onew exclaims. “At least he’ll be dressed properly now.”

 

Yun comes to stand beside Changmin, scratching at his legs. The man must be getting irritated with the constricting cloth covering his normally bare legs. “You look good,” Changmin whispers. Yun purses his lips, staring back at him intently. Given hell or high water, Changmin will make sure they survive this battle. Not only because it is his duty but because he wants _more_ with Yun.

 

More time… more everything.

 

In a short time, the pirate ship and the _Choikang_ ease into parallel positions. “Okay, enough play. Onew, take Yun back safely to the cabin. Minho, take the wheel!” Changmin hollers then runs onto the main deck to get a better view of the men on the pirate ship.

 

The pirates are lined up at the rails with their leader (the man with the biggest hat) standing in the middle. From what he can tell, the pirates have fewer men than them. Changmin calls out in Chinese, “What business do you have here?”

 

The leader strokes his beaded goatee. “You are close to our area of the Chinese coastline. Our turf. What business do _you_ have here, Korean?”

 

Changmin straightens his back. “I am a Captain of Korea’s navy. We are military men and have a right to roam the seas. You, on the other hand, we can take you into custody if you threaten this ship or his members.”

 

The leader grins. “Not if you are dead.”

 

Out of nowhere arrows with long ropes tied on their tails fly through the air and strike high on the masts. The pirates howl as they swing onto the _Choikang_. The men unsheathe their swords and the battle begins.

 

Swords clang against each other loudly under a bright blue sky, the heat of the sun intensifying the battle. Guns are pulled out. Shots are fired. Guns are kick away. Punches are thrown.

 

Changmin lands a punch on one of the pirates, sending him reeling, and tosses him over the side of the ship. The sound of cannons firing reverberates through the ship. Changmin yells to Minho, “Keep steering us away!”

 

To the few crew members fighting around him, he says, “Go! Go! We’ll take care of this! Go tell the rest of the crew to keep us moving!”

 

He is outnumbered but the pirates are unarmed, and he manages to throw two of them off the ship. Siwon, Kangin, and Shindong, who were the closest to him, come aid him with the rest. Changmin can finally look around. Onew and Eunhyuk are fighting. Even Minho fires a few shots as he steers. The pirate ship is floating too close to the _Choikang_ but the crew is doing a fine job of keeping them moving steadily. A cannon goes off and puts a good hole in the hull of the pirate ship.

 

One big pirate who looked like he lacks intelligence, grabs Kangin in a choking grip with a gun to his head. The pirate shouts, “Release my mates or he dies!”

 

What a lie. The dimwit would probably shoot Kangin out of spite if they follow his demand. Kyuhyun is behind the pirate and Changmin gives him the eye signal to shoot inconspicuously.

 

Kyuhyun doesn't have time to react. Neither do any of them, because Yun comes flying on one of the ropes and kicks the pirate in the face. Then, he swings back and aims for the pirate that has Onew in a headlock. The swinging repeats until the few pirates around them are left bleeding on the deck.

 

Changmin grins. _My Tarzan_.

 

When a cannon is fired at _Choikang_ , grazing it at the back, Changmin bellows, “FASTER! FIRE, MEN, FIRE!” One of their cannons fires directly into the tail of the half-sinking ship. In seconds, the _Choikang_ has surpassed the pirate ship; no longer are they parallel with the enemy. The injured pirates remaining on board panic and jump off the navy vessel without any assistance.

 

His men all roar with victory. Yun slides down the rope and all the men surround him with hugs. Even Kangin (and by default, Shindong too) offer many back thumps and deep thank yous.

 

Changmin jogs to the helm to get them back on the right course. With his binoculars, he spots the pirate leader knocking things down and yelling and shoving some of his own men off the ship.

 

Changmin’s grin widens. Nothing makes victory sweeter than watching the enemy tear itself to shreds. He glances over at the celebration. Yun is staring back with a hopeful expression. Hm. He is wrong. There is something sweeter…

 

Pain slices through his left arm. Changmin cries out through the burning pain.

 

“CHAN-MIN!”

 

 _Is that my name? Who said that?_ Changmin thinks as he slumps forward. The men run to him. Minho is holding him up. Kangin says in disgust, “Pathetic. Cowardly.” Changmin looks where his men are looking and sees one fatally injured pirate crawling on the floor. Shindong shoots the dying pirate and, with help from Siwon, dumps the body off the ship.

 

Clutching his bloodied arm, Changmin rasps, “Who — Who shouted my name?”

 

Each man looks at the other and shrugs. In unison, they look towards Yun. Yun is standing on the main deck, looking shell-shocked and worried.

 

*~~*

 

Minho and Kyuhyun help Changmin back to his cabin. Yun trails behind. Kyuhyun collects the bandages and Minho starts cleaning the wound right in the middle of his bicep. Yun stops Minho, leaning closely to observe the deep cut. Changmin knows what’s coming. A moist, gentle tongue swipes the blood off his arm. Kyuhyun and Minho make a gurgling noise. Changmin puts a hand on Yun’s head. “No, humans don’t do that.”

 

Yun pouts. Changmin just pats his head and signals for Minho to wrap up his arm. He tells Kyuhyun to keep the ship heading east. “I’d like us to get home soon. If any more problems arise, come to me immediately. I’ll be up on deck in an hour or so.”

 

Kyuhyun nods and leaves. Changmin sneaks a glance at Minho, who is sitting on the side of his bed awkwardly. “Minho, go tell Cook everything is fine and to prepare meals. I’m sure everyone is hungry.” Minho exits the room, back hunched over, head down. Poor kid. He could not have picked a worse person to love. Changmin is a jaded man.

 

Yun shuffles beside him, climbing onto the bed. Finally. They are alone. Changmin wants some answers. “Yun, you said my name earlier — that means you _can_ speak. Say something, please. Say my name again.”

 

Yun presses his lips together, eyes shifting nervously. Then, his name is sounded out: “Chan-min.”

 

Changmin sits up, ignoring his throbbing arm. “Chang-min.”

 

Yun repeats it incorrectly. “Chan-min.”

 

“ _Chang_ min,” he emphasizes the first part of his name more.

 

Yun tilts his head and croaks, “Chang-min.”

 

It is obvious Yun does not use his voice often. Although the hoarseness sounds like it came from swallowing nails, Changmin can note a veiled buttery quality to the voice. He likes it.

 

“One more time…”

 

“Changmin.”

 

“Good. Now, say something else.”

 

Yun hesitates. Changmin doesn’t want to push him, but he does want answers. “You understand me in Korean, so that means you speak Korean. But we found you in Taiwan…” It makes no sense. Why would a tribal man in the jungles of Taiwan speak or know any Korean?

 

“Yes,” Yun says, struggling to clear his voice. “But… I… forgot… some…”

 

“Ah, you forgot some Korean?” Yun nods to his question. “But you know it, how is that possible? Did someone teach you?”

 

Yun shakes his head no. “I just… know.”

 

 _Interesting_ , Changmin considers this. So, that implies Yun was probably born in Korea. But being so submerged with that tribe, perhaps that’s how the Korean Yun once knew faded. Changmin recalls that salesman who reacted so violently towards Yun. It is safe to say the man was shunned by society over there.

 

So, what is an assumed Korean man doing in a Taiwanese tribe? Maybe he was shipwrecked and the tribe dragged him into their realm. But if he was shipwrecked, shouldn’t there have been others too? Changmin wildly thinks the tribe disposed of the other shipwrecked people but kept Yun. The tribe did seem bestowed by him. Not that Changmin blames them… there is something special about Yun. It’s so easy to be bestowed…

 

“Well, Yun,” Changmin says gently. “From now on, I want you to speak… as much as you like. The more you practice the better you will get. I can teach you the words you don’t know. When we get back to Korea… wait, why did you sneak onto my ship?”

 

Yun fingers Changmin’s bandage and says, “Go… home.”

 

Catching Yun’s fingers, Changmin repeats, “Home? Korea is your home.”

 

Yun starts to look confused at his own comment; he struggles to move back. Changmin tightens the hold on those fingers, pulling Yun forward until he is half-sprawled across him. “Don’t I get a proper lick? I believe that’s where we left off before the pirates came.”

 

“Kiss?” Yun whispers. Warmly, Changmin replies, “Yes, _kiss_. Or, in your terms, lick. May I have one?”

 

Yun licks Changmin’s bottom lip then quickly moves his head back to gouge the reaction. Changmin tilts his head up. “Another one, please.”

 

_Lick._

 

“Another.”

 

_Lick._

 

“One more…”

 

_Lick._

 

With the last lick, Changmin snaps that tongue with his lips and reels Yun in. He is holding the other man around the waist. Yun is squirming but not pushing away, tongue still imprisoned. Changmin pulls more until Yun’s small tongue is inside his mouth. Changmin proceeds to command the kiss by slipping his own tongue in beside Yun’s.

 

Never in his life has he kissed in such a vulgar fashion. He hasn’t even tasted Yun’s lips yet, and it is already so addicting. He reaches up to cup Yun’s hot cheeks, teaching Yun how to tilt his head just right.

 

After a few seconds, Changmin lets go and Yun is tilting his head to the side by himself, allowing their tongues to delve deeper into each other’s mouth. Ah. What a fast learner!

 

As hot as this type of kiss is, it is also very messy. Changmin pulls back to wipe his chin and then does the same thing for Yun. The other man has his eyes wide open. Changmin stares into them, memorizing their deep brown and enticing slant. The patience within him thins out, and lust once again takes its place. He hauls Yun on top of him with his good arm, holding the other’s muscular thighs in a loose grip. Changmin is still dirty from battle but Yun doesn’t seem to mind with the way he’s gazing down at Changmin earnestly.

 

“How about I teach you how to really kiss?” And he lifts up his chin. Yun descends. Lips like silk pillows attach to his, sucking and licking inexpertly. Changmin doesn’t care. He sucks and licks back just as wildly, bucking up into the body pressed onto his crotch.

 

 _Shim, where do you think this will go, you fool? You’re a damn fool_ , are the last rational thoughts in the midst of the intense kissing session before he lost himself.

 

*~~*

 

Changmin leans back against the wooden wall of the cabin. His lips are swollen and so is his cock. He looks over at the man sleeping next to him. Yun has his face buried in the pillow, still fully clothed. They had rutted against each other for over an hour, lip-locked in a wild mating dance. Changmin has never had someone so uninhibited in his arms. He can only assume Yun is new to the wonders of sex because Changmin had not even touched him intimately, just several tugs on his bottom lip, and Yun was coming.

 

Yun came in a restrained manner, frowning and growling. Then, exhaustingly sunk onto the bed and fell asleep. It was a marvelous sight. It left Changmin hard and wanting but strangely satisfied.

 

He kisses Yun on the forehead before going up to the main deck. Kyuhyun sees him and says, “You surely took your time in there. Where’s Yun?”

 

“Sleeping.”

 

Kyuhyun looks at him strangely. “Okay. Um, we’re approaching the Korean coast.”

 

“Good.” He takes the wheel and focuses on the horizon. The sun is low, casting an orange hue across the sky; golden pigments reflecting off the water.

 

“What is happening between you and Yun, Changmin?” Kyuhyun asks bluntly. The ‘Captain’ title is dropped. This is a discussion between two friends.

 

Changmin lets his guard down enough to sigh and admit, “I don’t know. I wish I understood it, but I feel…” He can’t continue. His heart is squeezing.

 

Kyuhyun lays a hand on his shoulder. “Is it as bad as it was with Seohyun?”

 

Startled at the insinuation, Changmin says firmly, “I’m not in love with the man! I barely know anything about him. Did you know he speaks and understands Korean? A bit strange for a Taiwanese tribal man, yes?”

 

“He speaks Korean?” Kyuhyun says in surprise, then narrows his eyes. “Don’t change the subject. All the men have noticed. Yesung is convinced you’ve fallen in love.”

 

Changmin jerks the wheel to a sharp right. “Yesung is out-of-line. Yun is strange with an unknown past. I’m just curious. And I’m trying to be a good person. He obviously wanted to escape something to come aboard my ship. We are military men. We help people in need. I’m just doing my job.”

 

Kyuhyun raises his eyebrows, unimpressed with Changmin’s argument. “Oh really? Is why you came out of the cabin with bee-stung lips and an erection?”

 

So much for a friendly discussion! Changmin’s captain mask slips back on with a flash. “Damn it, Cho, get back to work!”

 

Kyuhyun cackles as he run away. “Don’t leave that thing unattended for too long… it’s not good for your health, Captain!”

 

*~~*

 

The _Choikang_ makes it back to Korea relatively unscratched. There are a few trivial dents from the pirate cannons, but at least everyone made it back alive. The first thing to be done is to help the missionaries back to land and locate the police. Eunhyuk is ordered to go to the post office nearby and call a group of police officers. It is not the navy’s duty to deliver these civilians back to their families.

 

When the police arrive, Changmin is ready to hand them the document files with the rescued group’s profiles. The missionaries wobble off the ship, down a long ramp, thanking the naval men profusely.

 

One man hands Siwon a Bible, and Siwon hands it straight to Kyuhyun. Glaring, Kyuhyun states, “Is that a stab? Because I have religion!” Siwon laughs and tackles Kyuhyun for a kiss. “Get off me, you maniac!”

 

“Calm down, children,” Changmin drones. “Thank you, officers.” The policemen salute them and escort the missionaries to the police carriages waiting on the side of the street near the dock.

 

Next, the naval men carry down their luggage while the crew members unload the ship. Yun walks down the ramp (fully clothed) with Onew, who is holding his hand. Changmin is torn on what to think about that. Once off the ramp, though, Yun jogs to the Captain’s side. Changmin relaxes and says to him, “You’re home.”

 

“Home,” Yun parrots while looking around.

 

Yesung slugs an arm around Changmin. “Yes, HOME. You know what this means, boys?”

 

All the men shout in unison, “SOJU TIME!”

 

The night after a mission equates to getting shit-faced on soju. It is their tradition. Changmin isn’t sure what to do with Yun, though. The man is his responsibility for the time being. Kangin, of all people, clamps Yun on the shoulder and exclaims, “Bring him with us! We’ll show him how us civilized folks like to party!”

 

At the local bar near the pier, the navy men reserve a couple of booths for themselves and order round after round of soju… Changmin, after all, is paying. Yun is sitting close beside him, peering at everyone laughing and shouting gaily. A drunken Shindong offers Yun a small shot glass. “Here you go. It’s like magical fire for your body!”

 

Changmin snorts, but watches Yun curiously. Yun sniffs it, winces at the potent scent, then takes a big gulp. This would cause any inexperienced drinker to choke. Yun is no exception. Changmin beats on Yun’s back to help ease the coughs. In irritation, Yun throws the shot glass on the ground, shattering the glass into pieces.

 

Everyone at the bar quietens to stare at them. Changmin touches the gun at his holster. Out of the blue, everybody roars and starts breaking glass. Yun’s move has caused a riot as drunken fights breaks out too. The owner rushes out of the back room, frantically shouting for the chaos to stop and threatening to call the police.

 

Changmin breaks up a few fights, shouting for Onew and Minho (who are the only ones not drunk yet) to help. Things go back to normal after the belligerent men get thrown out of the bar. Changmin drags himself back to the table and takes another shot of soju. His head begins to spin.

 

A few minutes later, after a ridiculous amount of soju, his men are passed out on the table. Changmin slowly sinks in his seat, head resting on Yun’s shoulder. It feels so warm… so… soon he falls asleep.

 

A loud BANG on the table wakes him up and he pulls out his gun and aims automatically at the offending noise. Commodore Jongkook! Fuck! His men are still snoring on the table. Yun is poking at them, probably to test whether or not they are dead.

 

“Shim. What is the meaning of this?”

 

Changmin puts his gun back in the holster hastily. “Commodore!”

 

“I knew I’d find you lot here,” Jongkook rolls his eyes. “You couldn’t even report to me before drinking yourself into a stupor.”

 

Guiltily, Changmin sits back down. “I apologize, Commodore.” He pours a shot for Jongkook and hands it to him. The Commodore glares but takes the drink and pushes Kangin out of the way in order to sit down.

 

“So. You completed the mission successfully. All the missionaries are safe at their homes now. Their families have been ringing me non-stop with thank yous. You did good, men.” He says this to the rousing group. Onew blinks sleepily with a dopey smile. Jongkook rolls his eyes again. “So, Shim. Want to tell me what _this_ is about?” The Commodore is pointing at Yun.

 

Yun shrinks back with a snarl to the Commodore. Changmin wants to smirk but keeps a straight face and tries to think of a way to explain Yun. Jongkook mutters under his breath and addresses Onew, “Who is this man, Lee?”

 

“Uh. A friend of the Captain. An old family friend?” Onew looks to Changmin for support.

 

Jongkook’s eyes threaten to fall back into his head at the rate he is rolling his eyes. “Nice try, Lee, but you’re not a very good liar. Now tell me who he is.” A glare follows.

 

Onew slurs out, “He’s a tribal man we found in the jungle and the Captain decided to keep him.”

 

“Way to go, Onew,” Changmin grits out through his teeth. Onew puts his drunken head back on the table in shame.

 

Jongkook is less than impressed. “Didn’t I specifically tell you to stick to the rescue mission at hand? Now we have a Taiwanese citizen on our land for absolutely no reason. No passport, no papers, nothing. Explain yourself, Shim.”

 

“The man saved my life… all the men’s lives and the hostages,” Changmin explains quietly. “I am indebted to him.”

 

“So you kidnap him?” Jongkook questions in confusion.

 

“I didn’t kidnap him, Commodore! He snuck onto the ship by himself. We only discovered him after the ship departed from Taiwan’s coast.”

 

Jongkook frowns as he stares at Yun’s hostile face. “That is still not a valid reason. You should have returned him to his home.”

 

“Sir,” Changmin begins patiently. “He snuck onto a military vessel… he left his homeland on his own free will, which means he _wanted_ to be rescued. How could I deny him that? He distracted a vicious tribe from murdering us all as Yesung snuck the hostages out. Then, he convinced the tribe to let me go when they were about to sacrifice me. I can’t just ignore that, Commodore. This man aided the Korean navy in a mission. That has to count for something, yes?”

 

Jongkook regards Changmin a while, sighing deeply. “How have you been able to communicate with him? I’m assuming he speaks Mandarin?”

 

Changmin shook his head. “No. He has not started speaking until recently, sir. I spoke to him in Mandarin at first but then decided to speak to him in Korean, in order to get him used to the language. Apparently, he has understood every word. He speaks Korean. A little broken but still Korean.”

 

Jongkook is taken aback. “He speaks Korean? A Taiwanese tribal man? That’s odd…”

 

“Exactly. That’s why I think he belongs here anyway.”

 

Jongkook counters, “Or he could be a spy.” Changmin raises an eyebrow skeptically. Yun is sniffing at the soju and sneezing.

 

“I doubt it, sir, he seems harmless. Other than lack of etiquette, he isn’t guilty of any suspicious behavior. In fact, did I mention Yun saved Kangin from a pirate who was about to kill him? Then, he dropped kicked the other pirates on the ship. We are all indebted to him now.”

 

Jongkook clatters his soju cup on the table. “Yun? His name is _Yun_?” Jongkook appears cagy as he observes the tribal man again.

 

Yun hiccups. Changmin take the bottle of soju away. Yun hiccups again then dives to the side, right into Changmin’s lap. Changmin yelps and stutters and tries to dislodge Yun’s head from his crotch. Yun buries his face in some more and shuts his eyes. “Fuck!”

 

Jongkook looks at him shrewdly. “Problem there, Shim?”

 

Changmin smiles awkwardly, keeping a hand on Yun’s head. The Commodore drinks another shot of soju and stands. “So, what exactly do you plan to do with him?”

 

Changmin hasn’t really thought too deeply about that. “Uh, take him home with me until I can locate a relative of his or someone who knows him? I plan to do some digging about his background.”

 

Jongkook replies tightly, “No investigation. I will take care of the details from here. Yun will need to be taken into custody.”

 

“Custody?!” Changmin is outraged. “You’re going to arrest him for doing nothing?”

 

Sighing, Jongkook says, “Don’t make me out to be the bad guy, Shim. This man has no legal papers to be allowed into the country. He’s not a citizen or a tourist. We have to keep him under surveillance until we decide what to do with him. Despite what he has done, he could be a threat to national security. His background seems fishy to me.”

 

Changmin unconsciously strokes Yun’s hair subtly under the table. “You can’t arrest him. He won’t know what’s going on. He’ll lash out and go crazy. He’s used to freedom. Besides me, he finally started trusting my men. Don’t set out to alienate him, please, we won’t get any answers out of him that way.”

 

Jongkook ponders that for a few minutes, tapping his fingers on the table. At last, he proclaims, “Fine. This man Yun is officially under house arrest… and _you_ will act as his prison guard. Since your underwear seems to be in a bunch about this, and to save myself endless nagging from you, I will allow Yun to stay with you.”

 

Changmin can live with that. In fact, he is thrilled with the decision and can’t control the stupid grin on his face. Jongkook rolls his eyes for the last time, and just before he reaches the bar’s exit, says, “Oh, and you’re on probation for the time being, Shim.”

 

*~~*

 

 _Probation! That Bastard!_ Changmin internally rants and he snaps the reins on the horse’s back to keep the carriage moving. He knows Jongkook is trying to make a political statement with this (he did break a rule after all) but that is some nerve!

 

He hears a loud snore behind him. A sleeping Kyuhyun is lying on a sleeping Siwon, who in turn is lying on a sleeping Yun. Changmin is giving the other two a ride back to their shared flat. The rest of the men had their horses nearby with the navy’s guards and departed in another direction towards their houses.

 

Changmin glances at his pocket watch. It’s almost midnight by the time they arrive at Kyuhyun’s and Siwon’s place. He nudges them awake and tells him, “Get out. I want to go home already.” Siwon kisses Kyuhyun awake and that makes Kyuhyun hit him and grumble.

 

Changmin complains, “Can you two just go fuck in your apartment? I want to get home!”

 

The two men stumble out of the carriage with their duffel bags. Siwon trails after Kyuhyun, whining the whole way. Changmin breathes a sigh of relief as he gets the carriage moving again. Yun is awake now and blinking drowsily. He tries to stand and climb up on the driver’s seat with Changmin but falls back. Changmin halts the carriage, holding out his hand for Yun to steady himself with.

 

Yun looks around in wonderment as the carriage moves again. He is slumping in his seat. Changmin frowns disapprovingly. “Sit up straight, Yun. It shows confidence and demands respect.”

 

Yun immediately fixes his posture to mimic Changmin’s rigid back. “R-Respect?”

 

“Yes, it means when you admire someone. Or someone admires you.”

 

Yun also asks about the word ‘confidence’ and Changmin explains it to him in more simple terms. As they pass houses, restaurants, and schools, Changmin chatters about them all. He does this on purpose to catch Yun’s curiosity and attention. Whenever Yun doesn’t understand a word, Changmin teaches him about it.

 

Changmin is beyond exhausted when they finally arrive at his home. He rolls the carriage around to the backyard and unleashes it from his horse, who waits patiently. He is a good stallion that has been around since… well, since Seohyun was alive. He lights a lantern and puts the horse away in the small barn, dumping food and water into his trays.

 

Yun is no longer in the carriage. He follows Changmin around, sniffing and touching things. “Come on, Yun, let’s go inside.”

 

This house had been a wedding gift from his parents’ years ago. After Seohyun passed away, he thought about selling it. He knows it would be healthier to sell it and get a small place for one person, but he can’t. Instead, like a personal punishment, he keeps the furniture, even the pots and kitchen utensils, exactly the way Seohyun liked to have them. This place is a relentless bittersweet twist in his gut. But to move out is to erase the memory of his wife and first love forever.

 

Entering through the sliding door, Changmin removes his shoes at the door, sets the lantern down, and helps Yun remove his. The moment his sock-clad feet step onto the smooth wooden floor, Yun shoots off, stomping all over the house. It feels strange to have another person in his home.

 

Changmin immediately goes to light the large furnace in the middle of the room. He lets Yun explore as he checks the condition of the house. Swiping a finger on the living room’s low oak table leaves his finger dust-ridden. He ambles into the kitchen, which is to the right and on a slightly lower level. A quick inspection tells him he really needs to buy food because all he sees preserved are bread, cheese, and beer. The beer is too warm to drink…he will have to wait for the ice man that comes in the morning. The milk man will drop off a pint tomorrow too and…

 

Mentally listing off the rest of the things that need to get done including laundry, Changmin opens the doors to the bedroom, which is to the left of the living room. He sets the lantern down and starts to unpack his things from the duffle bag. Yun enters the bedroom, a little breathless from all the exploring. Changmin stops unpacking to stare. Yun kneels to feel the plush bed, then the mahogany nightstand and dresser. Hands trail to the large fancy picture frame on the dresser and lift it.

 

“No!” Changmin barks, startling Yun to drop the frame to the floor and breaking the glass. “Must you touch everything? Look what you’ve done! This is a picture of me and my wife. Do you even realize how precious this is to me? Leave, now!”

 

Yun’s lips tremble. “S-Sorry.” And he runs way. Changmin hears doors sliding open and closed. Changmin exhales deeply. _What is wrong with me? I should give him some space then apologize_.

 

After unpacking, he checks if the bath room, the small room adjacent to the kitchen, looks in order. Finally, he fills a tin kettle with water and places it over the furnace; they’ll need to add hot water to a bath later.

 

Yun still hasn’t come back inside. Changmin feels even worse now; he shouldn’t have blown up like that without an explanation.

 

Expecting to find him by the front door, Changmin panics when he looks outside to find no Yun. _Where is he?_ Changmin runs out to the backyard, yelling, “Yun! Where are you? Yun!”

 

A rustle from the carriage grabs his attention. He climbs up into carriage and sees Yun huddled on the floor of it. “Yun!” Changmin puts the lantern down on the seat and falls beside the forlorn man. “I’m sorry I yelled. I just… it’s just… that picture means a lot to me.”

 

In a small voice, Yun asks, “Seo-hyun… why?”

 

The sentence is choppy and missing a verb but Changmin understands; he is used to it. “Yes, that’s Seohyun. And why did I yell? Because I am very sensitive about her, I don’t like things moved around since she last touched them.”

 

Yun slides over on the floor. Changmin feels the warmth on his side; he grabs Yun’s hand and holds it tight. They sit this way, gazing up at the luminous stars in the night sky, until they fall asleep.

 

*~~*

 

The morning sun soaks through Changmin’s eyelids and wakes him up. Squinting his eyes, Changmin turns onto his back. Sometime during the night, his head slid to Yun’s lap. Yun is blinking down at him. Changmin smiles, “Good morning.” He forgot how good it feels to wake up next to someone.

 

“G’Morning,” Yun says while touching Changmin’s lips. He instinctively kisses the tips of those slim fingers. In surprise, Yun pulls back to press his kissed fingers to his own lips. In the sunlight, Yun’s eyes sparkle golden-brown. Changmin reaches up to stroke the other’s cheek and feels light stubble. “We should shave today.”

 

After lazing about in the carriage for another hour, Changmin pulls Yun up with him to start the day. Since he is on probation, he might as well do things around the house he has been meaning to do.

 

First, Changmin fills a small bowl with water and gets the razor, shaving cream, and a small mirror. He lets Yun watch him shave his own stubble. Yun watches closely then imitates the act after Changmin spread the shaving cream and hands him the razor. At the end of it all, Yun nicks himself on the chin. Changmin chuckles and dabs the cut with a handkerchief.

 

It’s a hot day. Changmin removes his shirt, walking to the barn to collect the wooden boards he bought a month ago. He needs to build a storage box for all the junk lying haphazardly in the barn.

 

Changmin isn’t an expert builder but the navy teaches him to be meticulous and disciplined. Conceptually ordering the steps to build it, Changmin gathers all the supplies then sets to work. Yun is sitting on the ground next him, sweat seeping through his shirt.

 

Changmin suggests, “Take your shirt off. It’s a very hot day, you must be uncomfortable.” He notices Yun can’t quite sit in that odd way of his with bulky boots. “Go ahead and remove the boots. Relax, this is your home.” Changmin grimaces at his own words. Now, why did he say that? Yun is supposed to be under the navy’s custody… he is not guest or a lover. _Yet_ , his mind sneakily supplies.

 

Changmin huffs as he hammers in a nail. He glances up. Yun is shirtless. Changmin cannot tear his eyes away from his sweaty chest; it is smooth and tanned with cocoa brown-colored nipples. His eyes skim down to Yun’s bellybutton and hipbones. Lust roots him in his spot. He can’t just jump on the man; he would scare him to death. Maybe he can start slow…

 

Changmin’s mouth gets away from him to say, “Yun, may I have kiss?”

 

Yun kicks his boots away agitatedly, stiffening when Changmin speaks. For a split second, Changmin thinks Yun will bolt into the house. Yun stays, though, looking nervous. Putting the hammer down, Changmin swipes a hand through his long bangs to wipe the sweat off his forehead. From his experience, this move makes ladies swoon.

 

It sort of works. Yun walks over to him. Changmin gets to his feet and pulls Yun’s body against his. “A kiss?”

 

Yun lifts up, his tongue bypassing the mouth to lick at the sweat above Changmin’s upper lip. Hot tremors course through his body, causing him sweat more. He takes that tongue and pushes his own inside Yun’s mouth. The wild man wiggles and moans but doesn’t push away. Changmin takes that as permission to continue kissing deeper.

 

All they ever do is kiss. Changmin doesn’t dare touch inappropriately and Yun doesn’t seem to know _how_ to take it on another intimate level. Honestly, it’s for the best. Changmin simply wants to enjoy the closeness without any complications. After years of monogamy and a few more of self-imposed celibacy, Changmin definitely sees sex as a complication.

 

Their kiss goes on and on. They sweat like waterfalls and kiss their lips dry. Changmin steps back. Yun’s mouth is blood-red and puffy. Changmin groans. Illicit fantasies play in his head like a motion picture. He distracts himself with work, trying his damnedest to keep things professional.

 

Changmin teaches Yun how to hammer a nail to support the wood parts together. The milk man and ice man arrive and Changmin pays them. He shows Yun the kitchen and where things go. The man seems to love milk; he drinks almost the entire pint enthusiastically. For breakfast, Changmin would have preferred eggs but settles for bread and cheese. Unfolding the cheese from the preservation cloth, he cuts thick slices to put on the bread. Yun eats half a slice at a time. Changmin chews and watches, happy to see the man eating. When they were kissing, he could count Yun’s ribs with his fingers. The former tribal man needs more meat on his bones.

 

They spend most of the day cleaning the house. And in all honesty, Yun does more damage than good but, the precious man seems so happy to help, Changmin doesn’t have the heart to complain…just runs along quietly fixing whatever mess is made.

 

When Changmin decides to go to the stores across the street, Yun requests, “May I go?”

 

Screw Jongkook. He isn’t going to trap this man in the house. Changmin agrees and they go to the store together after he tells Yun to put on a shirt. At the butchers, Changmin buys a slab of beef. At the two stores next door, he collects vegetables and fruits. Yun, of course, wants to touch everything. But when he starts sniffing, the salesman demands for Changmin to buy it. That’s when Changmin takes Yun firmly by the hand and stipulates, “No more sniffing.”

 

Yun narrows his eyes. “Licking, too?”

 

“You only lick me.”

 

Considering this, Yun nods. “Only Changmin.”

 

That evening, over the open fire pit in the kitchen, Changmin cooks the beef on a skillet, adding some seasoning to it. He also roasts some vegetables and cuts up fruit into equal slices. Yun watches his every move. Finally, Yun comments as Changmin takes out two beers from the ice box, “You cook good.”

 

“ _You cook well_ ,” Changmin corrects. “And thank you, but I’m not that great. It will keep you nourished at least. Seohyun used to…”

 

“Tell me,” Yun prompts.

 

Clearing his throat, Changmin finishes, “Seohyun used to do all the cooking. But we used to do everything together, so I helped a lot when I was home.”

 

“You leave home much?”

 

Changmin nods. “Yeah, usually. If not for a mission, then patrolling the seas or at the office doing paper work. She used to hate my job. We fought a lot about it.”

 

Strange to think about the no-so-happy times. Ever since she passed away, Changmin had built her up in his head, making her into a saint or an angel. But the rough times, and her screaming at him for being distant with her, are at the forefront of his mind at the moment. Oddly enough, the thoughts relieved him. She was human; she wasn’t perfect. What they had wasn’t perfect. Nothing can ever be _perfect_ , that’s life.

 

Changmin serves Yun a piece of meat and vegetables in the living room, and kneels at the opposite side of the table to eat and observe the man attack the meal with zeal. Changmin feels like he can breathe for the first time in years. He’s not alone anymore. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. Changmin smiles as he takes another bite of meat.

 

After dinner, he does some reading while Yun sprawls on a cushiony mat near the furnace, looking through old newspapers. Changmin asks, “Can you read Hangul?”

 

Yun answer, “Some. I don’t know…forgot some. I don’t understand… this.” He points at one section of the paper. Changmin puts his book down and sits with him on the mat. They go through passage after passage, article after article. Changmin rates Yun’s reading at a primary school level. But at least he knows the basics.

 

At bedtime, he takes the kettle off the furnace and pours it into the tub, letting it mix with the cool water. He climbs in to wash himself. Yun slides the bath room doors open without knocking. Changmin tells him, “Yun, when you enter any room, you must knock. Not really at home but when you are anywhere else. It’s common courtesy.”

 

Yun nods, sitting on the floor next to the tub. Changmin rinses his hair and proposes, “Come take a bath too. Just let me — AH!”

 

Yun had jumped into the tub, still in his shirt and underwear. Rubbing the water out of his eyes, Changmin helps Yun out of the damp shirt. “I was going to say, let me get out first. Next time, remove your clothes before bathing.”

 

He gets out of the bath and grabs a towel. He spots Yun staring at his nude body and flushes all over. “Yun, take your underwear off and wash there too.” Changmin practically runs out of the bath room.

 

Changmin lies on the bed, wearing only his white briefs. It’s too warm out to wear anything else. He leaves a window open so a light breeze can enter. The moon glows brightly and in perfect view through the window. Yun comes in the room a few minutes later, wrapped in a towel.

 

Changmin points to the clothes he had laid out on the dresser. “Put those on. Or if you want, just the underwear… you might get uncomfortable in more than that.” Yun throws the shirt away. Changmin snaps, “No, don’t do that. When you don’t want something, you put it back in its rightful place. Place it neatly on the chair there; I’ll fold it later.”

 

Yun snarls at him but does as he is told.

 

Changmin stares openly and with no shame as Yun dresses, only putting on the briefs. He has a right to look. And it’s not like he’s going to act irrationally. No harm comes from simply looking, admiring the human form… the curve of the buttocks… and those shapely hips and thighs…

 

Groaning, Changmin buries his face in a pillow, pretending to sleep. The mattress dips and sheets rustle. He can’t feel Yun’s body, however. When he turns his head, slyly opening one eye, he sees Yun on the far side of the bed. The man is curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible.

 

 _He’s too far away_ , Changmin (CAPTAIN Shim Changmin) wants to pout. He resigns himself, though, to being good and sleeping on his side. But there is no law against him _accidentally_ pulling Yun into his arms in the middle of the night. No siree!

 

The days that follow are similar to their first day together. It becomes routine: waking up with Yun’s back pressed into Changmin’s front, eating breakfast, and then doing chores. When they finish their work (or don’t have any for that day), they go for long walks around the neighborhood. Changmin asks Yun to name everything around them and put each word in a proper sentence. It is exceptional how quickly and how well Yun absorbs the lessons, almost like the Korean language has been dormant in his brain for years and it is finally being prodded awake.

 

One evening, instead of cooking, Changmin takes Yun to a formal restaurant that serves the best fried fish in town. Though Yun is tempted to eat with his hands, Changmin prods him to use the knife and fork. He had to request an extra cloth napkin to tuck into Yun’s collar. Overall, it is a good experience for Yun to be among a large group of people. Afterwards, Yun says with a lick to Changmin’s cheek, “Thank you. You are good.”

 

“I am a good person?” Changmin breathes, mouth against Yun’s forehead. Looking up at him, Yun responds genuinely, “You are good… to me.”

 

Eyes softening, Changmin whispers, “I haven’t even started being _good_ to you.”

 

Yun appears lost to the insinuation, which allows Changmin to be free with his words. “I’ll be good to you as long as I can.” Looking down at their intimate body contact, Yun moves back.

 

“Don’t run…” Changmin parts Yun’s lips with his thumb. “Kiss me.”

 

They had not kissed since that first day. Yun is like a flighty butterfly Changmin can’t keep hold of if he endeavors too assertively. And so wisely, Changmin has been giving the wild man space (except when he’s sound asleep), and now as a result, the butterfly comes to him…

 

Yun slips back into Changmin’s arms and they kiss shyly but with passion…falling asleep in a lip-lock.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin, captain of the Korean navy, meets a mysterious tribal man that will change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to rocketsprout for the beta!

 

_Rrrrring!_

 

_Rrrrring!_

 

_Rrrrring!_

 

On the sixth day, the home phone, which has been silent for days, is ringing off the hook. Changmin ignores it for the first three attempts, opting to bury his face in Yun’s hair instead. But his eyes snap open on the fourth attempt. It could be Jongkook — the Commodore never mentioned how long the probation would be.

 

Yun squirms out of Changmin’s arms to walk on all fours to the telephone situated next to the picture frame on the dresser. Once he touches it gingerly, Yun swipes his palm across the ringing device, sending it crashing to the floor. With an upturned nose, Yun crawls back into Changmin’s arms. Quaking with laughter, Changmin squeezes him once then moves away to collect the phone pieces, pressing the cylinder part to his ear and holding the speaker to his mouth. “Shim here.”

 

“Shim, where the fuck are you and why aren’t you picking up the phone?!” Yep. It’s Jongkook.

 

“Sorry, Commodore,” Changmin answers unapologetically. “Is probation fun-time over? Is it back to work?”

 

“Don’t get cute with me, Shim. I’m already pissed off. Caught Cho and Choi sucking face in the office. I expect you to whip more discipline into your men!”

 

Changmin cackles. Oh Kyuhyun and Siwon. No decency. No shame. “With all due respect, Commodore, the last thing they need is a whip.”

 

Jongkook chokes through the receiver, “What’s wrong with you? Never mind, I don’t really care. Just get your ass over to the Minister’s office.”

 

Changmin stops laughing. “What? Why?”

 

“Why must you question my every order? The Minister wants to thank you or whatever for leading the rescue mission. He doesn’t know about the little stowaway at your house and you better not tell him until we figure out how explain the matter. When you finish your meeting with him, come to my office to discuss it.”

 

Yun’s eye lids flutter sleepily. Changmin absentmindedly strokes the man’s hair. “As you wish, Commodore.”

 

“As I wish?! AS I WISH?! Cut your hair, Shim, that’s what I wish!” Then the temperamental man hangs up. How rude.

 

*~~*

 

Changmin has to find a place to leave Yun, because he’s not allowed to take him to the Minister’s office. If it were up to him, he would take Yun with him. He can’t understand why Jongkook insists on making this a national secret. Maybe if they reveal it, someone will step up and offer information about Yun. But Changmin isn’t going to defy orders… yet.

 

On the way to the palace, he remembers Siwon and Kyuhyun… their place is on the way. At first Yun refuses to get out of the carriage. “No. Want to go with Changmin.”

 

Knowing Siwon’s and Kyuhyun’s eyes are on him, Changmin lightly touches Yun’s cheek. “I’ll be back to get you. But I have a business meeting with the Minister. I can’t bring anyone with me.” Yun reluctantly nods and hops off the carriage. It breaks his heart a bit when Yun waves at him until he has turned the corner.

 

Outside the Minister’s office, he gets a sense of déjà vu when he starts fixing his hair in the fancy mirror hanging on the striped wallpapered wall. Jonghyun calls him in, “The Minister will see you now.”

 

The Minister stands and shakes Changmin’s hand in greeting. “Hello, Captain. How are you? I hope you’ve rested well.”

 

“Yes, Yanghyun-sshi, I have. Commodore Kim told me you needed to see me.”

 

Yanghyun gestures for Changmin to sit. “No, no, it’s nothing urgent. I just wanted to formally thank you for leading the mission successfully. All the former hostages are safe… a little shaken up, but safe with their families at least.”

 

“It is my duty, Yanghyun-sshi, and I have excellent men. Kim Yesung, especially, should be awarded honors for his act of bravery.”

 

Yanghyun chuckles. “You are humble. And yes, I heard what Officer Yesung did… and he will be awarded the title of Lieutenant at the Seoul Society Ball Friday night.”

 

“The ball…” Changmin repeats flatly. That’s in two days.

 

“Yes,” Yanghyun grins. “The ball in Gyeongbokgung Palace at 7 o’clock. Feel free to invite a significant other. Are you married, Captain?” The Minister is eyeing his ring finger.

 

“Widower.”

 

“Oh,” Yanghyun looks embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

 

Changmin shrugs. “It was a long time ago.” Yanghyun nods sagely. The phone rings, and the older man says, “Excuse me… Hello, Colonel, yes, yes…”

 

Gaze wandering around the office, it lands on the picture frame. Ah, yes, the Minister’s lost son. Seeing that the older gentleman is still speaking on the phone while staring out the window, Changmin feels it’s safe to sneak another peak at the photo. He turns the frame towards him. First, he studies it clinically, taking in the eyes, the chubby cheeks, the opened-mouth arrested look, the small beauty mark… then something clicks with only one name in mind: _Yun_.

 

No. It can’t be… it’s impossible! By all odds, that little boy should be dead. He was lost on one of the islands near Taiwan… not _on_ Taiwan. But…

 

Changmin panics when it seems the Minister is wrapping up his call. He quickly puts the frame back in its place. Yanghyun apologize for the interruption.

 

Changmin dismisses it politely then inquires carefully, “Sir, may I ask something about your lost son?”

 

“Deceased. You can say it, Captain,” the older man says with a twisted smile. “My wife can’t seem to accept it but… it is time to acknowledge the cold, hard facts. Do you know she still keeps his old room intact? I try to tell her time and time again it’s not healthy, but it always turns into a fight.”

 

That way of dealing with grief sounds all too familiar… like the situation with his wedding ring or marriage house. So he responds in sympathy, “I’m sorry to hear that… I’m sure it will just take more time.” He thinks about asking why they never tried for more children but then realizes it’s none of his business.

 

Unceremoniously, Changmin says, “Have you ever thought about re-opening the case? Sending out other search parties?”

 

Yanghyun folds his hands on the desk. “Of course. We conducted numerous searches. And on what would have been Yunho’s 16th birthday, I put a stop to the hopeless mission, despite my wife’s protests.”

 

 _Yunho_. _Yun_. _Yunho_. _Yun_. It seems so simple. And yet, Changmin must tread lightly. He doesn’t want to open this couple’s old wound only to crush their hearts all over again.

 

“Random question but,” Changmin starts conversationally. “Do you think there was a possibility that the island you lost him on wasn’t really where he ended up? For instance, during the time the Captain of that ship couldn’t double back and had to detour around the other islands, Yunho could have been taken to a different location.”

 

Yanghyun stares stoically at his desk, chewing over the theory. Changmin is strangely reminded of Yun when he is in contemplation. Yanghyun finally responds, “I suppose it is possible. It never really occurred to us. Any time we sent a search party, it was to that particular island. Just the thought of him being taken elsewhere…I can’t…my God, he could’ve been anywhere! Who would do that?”

 

Changmin picks off the list of possibilities on his fingers. “You are a man in politics; it could have been an enemy, a rival. It could’ve been a vengeful crew that really didn’t care about your son, since you did say they were the ones that told you he was safely playing below deck when he really wasn’t. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it was all planned. In which case, it would be pretty stupid to kidnap a child and keep him on the same small island.”

 

The Minister is mildly stunned. “Captain, it seems you’ve thought a great deal about this.”

 

Changmin shrugs. “Not really. Some things just occurred to me…a few details pieced themselves together. And apologies in advance for stepping over the line, but I would really like to re-open the investigation about your son.”

 

“A search party?”

 

Changmin picks up the picture frame again. “No, just a proper paper work investigation. I’d like to locate as many of the old crew members from that ship as I can and ask for information.”

 

“Why are you concerning yourself with this, Captain?” Yanghyun asks in wonderment.

 

Changmin explains with deep compassion, “Ever since you told me your story, it tugged on my heart. Going deep into the jungle to rescue those people and seeing the picture of your son again puts things in perspective for me. I want, at the very least, to give you peace of mind and bring whoever committed this crime against your family to justice.”

 

The older man’s wrinkles seem to thin out. “You’re sure it was a revenge tactic?”

 

“It has to be, sir. Those tribes don’t ever leave their haven in the forest. There is the possibility an island native took your son, but why would they leave the island if that is their home.”

 

Yanghyun smiles suddenly. “You sound so passionate about this… it almost gives me a glimmer of hope for peace in my heart.” The Minister sighs and adds, “I will provide you with a list of men from the past I would have considered enemies.”

 

Changmin nods eagerly. “Yes, that would be most helpful. If this is also not overstepping any lines…”

 

The Minister sincerely laughs. “You’ve already crossed the line a mile back and are still running. But please, continue.”

 

Changmin can’t help but laugh back. “I was wondering if I might request an interview with your wife. Would she be free right now?”

 

“Yes, she should be home now from her volunteer work with the children’s hospital.” Yanghyun frowns. “Why my wife?”

 

Changmin stands and holds out his hand. “Because she would know and remember Yunho best.”

 

*~~*

 

When the door to one of the classiest, Western-styled houses in an upper-class neighborhood opens, Changmin is ushered to Jung Nara, the Minister’s wife. A maid brings them tea then leaves them alone in the sitting room. After exchanging introductions and greetings, Changmin jumps straight to the point after the first sip of tea, “Mrs. Jung, I —”

 

“Please call me Nara, Captain.”

 

“Well, then, I must insist you call me Changmin,” he offers charmingly.

 

The older woman covers a smile with the teacup, then dusts the purple chima of her hanbok. “How can I be of service to you, Changmin?”

 

If Yun is the Jungs’ son, then he takes after his father in looks. But observing Nara closely, he senses an aura that he feels with Yun. The way in which she moves, drinks tea, and says his name.

 

He shakes himself out of his thoughts and tells her, “I don’t want to bring this up to upset you. Your husband shared with me the incident with your lost son many years ago, and I want to re-open the investigation.”

 

Nara’s teacup falls to the floor. The maid rushes back into the room to clean it up, but Changmin stops her. Instead, he kneels on the floor, picking up the expensive porcelain and carefully places the pieces on the table. “Nara, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know more about your son.”

 

Nara stares at him like he is precious to her. “You — You said _lost_ , not _dead_. _Lost_. That implies he can be found.”

 

He lays a hand atop her warm, slightly-wrinkled one. “I can’t promise you anything, but I want to find some conclusion about what happened to your son. Will you help me?”

 

Nara nods numbly. “I’ll tell you anything. What do you want to know?”

 

“Tell me everything about him that you remember. And also, may I see his room?”

 

Jumping up, Nara takes his hand and leads him upstairs. “Yunho was bright child. Learned things very quickly because he practiced it when you told him to. He was also a very curious boy. He would stick his nose into everything. It gave me many heart attacks when he was a toddler.”

 

They enter Yunho’s room. There is a large bed, much larger than what an 8 year-old would need and stuffed animals everywhere, even on the window sill. Nara sits on the bed, holding one of the stuffed animals to her chest. “I know this bed is big enough for two adults, but I felt he needed an upgrade after turning 18.”

 

With a fierce expression, Nara dares him to judge her. Changmin softens. He used to continue watering Seohyun’s favorite plants, even bought and planted new ones he knew she would have liked. He wants to tell Nara he understands the need in keeping the memory of a loved one alive, but he is too awkward to comfort outwardly. Changmin stuffs his hands in his pockets, asking, “He liked stuffed animals?”

 

Nara relaxes. “Yun adored them. This one here was his favorite.” She reveals the stuffed deer in her lap. Changmin stills, feet rooted to the floor. _Yun!_

 

“Yun?”

 

“That was his nickname. Not original. But I’m sure some call you Min.”

 

“My mom does sometimes,” Changmin admits quietly. “Nara, may I borrow that stuffed animal?”

 

Nara is reluctant at first. Changmin looks her straight in the eye. “I promise you’ll get it back. I need it to continue my investigation.”

 

The stuffed deer is swinging in his hand when he walks out of the Jung household a few minutes later.

 

He rides over to the Commodore’s office and they have an unproductive meeting. Basically, the conclusion is to keep Yun under custody and Changmin under probation. Jongkook says he will investigate and find a solution for the former tribal man. Changmin nods, keeping quiet about his own private investigation. Somehow, he doesn’t trust the Commodore enough to confide in him.

 

*~~*

 

When, at last, he makes it back to Siwon’s and Kyuhyun’s place, Yun is nowhere in sight. Before he rages, Siwon holds up a hand. “Captain, he’s in the bedroom. You took so long to come home, he withdrew to sit by himself.”

 

“I had some things to attend to,” Changmin mutters, staring worriedly at the closed bedroom door. “I’ll tell you guys later. Is he sleeping?”

 

“Not sure,” Kyuhyun says. “He had lunch with us and kept asking about you. Then, walked out in the middle of a story Siwon was telling and locked himself in the bedroom.”

 

Changmin knocks on the door. “Yun? Yun baby, open the door. I’m back.”

 

He hears snickering behind him and spins around, yelling, “It’s an endearment to soothe and draw him out of the room! Shut up, Kyuhyun!” His friend falls all over Siwon laughing his ass off. Changmin starts to go and beat him to a pulp when two hands grab and drag him backwards into the room.

 

Yun pushes him against the door and glowers at him. Changmin speaks before the angry man could, “I know. I took all day. But I had multiple meetings and things to do. But there is a restaurant nearby I made reservations at for us. Would you like to go?”

 

Yun’s glower dims. “I thought you… left me.”

 

Changmin touches the hands on his chest. “Never. How can I just leave you when I said I’d be back?”

 

Pain floods Yun’s eyes. Changmin leans forward to kiss the pain away, nibbling down to Yun’s waiting mouth.

 

They leave the apartment and head to the restaurant. In the carriage, Yun discovers the stuffed deer Changmin placed strategically on one of the seats. Yun stares at the animal the whole way to the restaurant. After Changmin tosses the reins to an attendant, he gets off to open the door for Yun but the other man has already jumped off the other side. Changmin notes the stuffed animal still in Yun’s hand. Changmin can’t stop smiling as he tells the hostess his name.

 

After their order arrives, in the middle of chewing, Changmin points at the deer, “You like that toy?”

 

Yun swallows a bite, puts his fork down, and holds the deer closer. “Yes. Is this for me?”

 

Changmin stares. “Yes, if you want it to be… Yun _ho_.”

 

Yun jolts at hearing the name. Changmin prods, “Is that your real name?”

 

Yun cradles his head, shaking it. “I… don’t know. Sounds…”

 

“Familiar?”

 

Yun nods, suddenly looking tired and uncomfortable in his seat. Changmin takes one last bite of meat and pays for the meal. It’s time to take Yun home.

 

Lying in bed after a bath, Changmin brushes Yun’s hair to help him relax. Yun has his face turned in Changmin’s direction, and cradling the stuffed deer. In a soft voice, Changmin asks, “Do you remember how your life was before the tribe?”

 

Voice muffled by the deer’s fur, Yun answers, “I remember people… but they are only dreams. In my dream… my name is Yunho. And… there is a… woman.”

 

“And?”

 

“A ship.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

Yun squeezes the deer. “Her.”

 

Ah ha! The man is Jung Yanghyun’s son! Changmin is so sure of it. He’s buzzing with excitement at the discovery. Even if he is completely wrong, it’s worth a shot. He cannot just throw Yun at the Jungs; that would be poor taste. It has to seem like a natural meeting…

 

The ball! Of course, the Seoul Society Ball the Minister mentioned would be the perfect place to introduce Yun. Discounting Jongkook’s _the-tribal-man-is-under-custody-you-better-not-pull-any-stunts_ voice, Changmin makes quick plans in his head. If the Jungs, especially Mrs. Jung, recognize Yun as _Yunho_ then the grieving couple will gain a son. And if Yun is not _Yunho_ , then nobody’s the wiser. No one can get hurt from this plan. Jongkook is going to fry his ass when he sees him show up at the ball with Yun but he couldn’t care less. His gut is telling him this is the right thing to do.

 

Changmin stops brushing Yun’s hair to ask, “Yun, how would you like to go to a ball?”

 

Yun lies back on the bed and stares at him. “A ball?” Then he mates the tips of his fingers together to form a circular shape.

 

Changmin replies, “No. Not that kind of ball. This is a party if you will… a party for the military as well as a few important politicians and their families. Would you like to go?”

 

“Party…” Yun says slowly. “What… would I… do there?”

 

“Oh, just listen to some fine music and stand around with me.” There is no way in hell he’s going to dig up a date for this thing. He has neither the time nor patience to court anyone.

 

“With you?” Yun sits up keenly. Changmin nods, lifting a hand to rub the back of Yun’s neck. “With me.”

 

*~~*

 

The next morning Changmin takes Yun to a boutique shop close to home. This place already has his measurement, so he tells the female shop assistant that Yun needs to be sized and tailored for a suit. This proves to be quite a task because Yun doesn’t want to be touched. After Yun kicks the male tailor and hides in one of the dressing rooms, Changmin sighs and sets out to coax the skittish man out.

 

“Yun,” Changmin mutters at the thin door at the back of the shop. “Please, come out. We have to measure you, otherwise you won’t be able to go to the ball with me. You want to stay home alone, is that what you want?”

 

In about two seconds, the door slides open revealing a scowling Yun. Changmin holds back a smile. “Come. I’ll size you myself.”

 

The last suggestion does the trick. Changmin uses the tape measure with guided directions from the tailor. Yun stands deathly still as Changmin’s hand and tape measure travel up the inseam. Changmin is relieved when all the measurements are completed because he can’t take another minute of acting professional.

 

The rest of the day is typical. In the evening, Changmin sits on the cushy mat next to the furnace and tells Yun, “Bring me that book and come read it to me.” He loves these moments, where Yun is tucked into his arm and stuttering through words. Yun’s voice is soothing, and he has improved so much in reading; written Korean is rapidly surfacing in Yun’s mind.

 

In the middle of the night, Changmin feels the bed bouncing. “Wha —” He turns, blinking groggily through the darkness. Yun seems to be troubled. He switches the lantern on. “Yun! Yun, calm down.”

 

The other man is moving his head back and forth on the pillow and kicking his arms and legs around as if trying to fight someone off. Changmin pins the flailing arms down to the bed. Yun sinks into the mattress, whimpering, “M-Momma… Momma…”

 

The desperation in the man’s tone stings Changmin’s heart. “Yun… _Yunho_ , wake up!”

 

Yun’s eyes pop open in panic.

 

Changmin says softly, “Shhhhhh. Everything is alright.” He wipes the sparkling beads of participation on Yun’s forehead. “Is it your mother?”

 

Yun sits up and rubs his head. “I don’t… know.”

 

The ball is the day after tomorrow; they will know soon if the Jungs are Yun’s parents. Changmin asks curiously, “Yun, what was your dream about? Can you describe it to me?”

 

“A man…” Yun replies faintly. “A man… grabbing me. That is all…”

 

More proof that Yun was kidnapped and probably taken to the Taiwanese tribe. Where was everyone — the crew, the captain, why did no one keep an eye on Yun? Unless… it was the crew themselves who were responsible for committing the crime. Changmin had already suspected that. He needs to locate these people again soon!

 

After the ball.

 

“That’s all you remember?”

 

Yun nods and lies back down on the pillow, watching at Changmin in a way that makes him squirm. Changmin shrugs it off, turning over to try and fall back asleep. A warm, solid body presses into his back… a small tremor runs through him. Changmin flips onto his other side, making Yun scatter away to the other side of the bed.

 

Changmin’s brows furrow. “You are the one instigating this. What do you want?”

 

Yun plays with the collar of the black button-up shirt he is wearing. “I — I’m… uncomfortable… frustrated…” Yun throws himself back on the bed and lets out a growl. Hands palming the buttons of his shirt.

 

“Why?” Changmin eyes the distressed man apprehensively. Yun glares at him then focuses on unbuttoning his own shirt. Changmin becomes alarmed. “What are you doing?” But Yun carries on ignoring him, unbuttoning until the black shirt is spread open. Dear Buddha…

 

“Yun…” Changmin gulps. “Where is your underwear?”

 

Yun casts the shirt away, sliding a hand down his body. “I don’t like it.”

 

Unable to draw his eyes away, Changmin moves closer. “But it’s not proper for people to go without underwear… what are you doing?”

 

That’s a stupid question… it’s obviously what Yun is doing. He’s touching himself. Not only that, but also doing this odd writhing motion and humming melodiously under his breath. It’s like some tribal ritual. Changmin watches avidly with warm cheeks. Yun caresses in between his own legs while staring at Changmin with dilated eyes that hold a spark of animalistic need.

 

No one has ever looked at him in that manner. He has never felt so desired. Changmin is drawn closer by the heat of that gaze. Yun is thrashing his head now, clearly bothered by something, seeing as how his hands are fisting the bed sheets. Changmin isn’t exactly sure what to do. All he can figure is Yun wants to be touched.

 

Slowly, hesitantly, Changmin places his hand on Yun’s chest and guides it up and down, in what he hopes is a soothing manner. Yun stops thrashing and sets that fiery gaze on him again. Changmin swallows his nerves and lets his hand wander lower and lower… he hesitates to go below the navel.

 

Yun bucks his hips. “Captain!”

 

Oh no… Changmin’s arousal springs up like a rooster at dawn. Why such formal courtesy during a very intimate, informal situation? Changmin offers, “Yun, you can call me ‘Min’ in private, okay?”

 

“Min!” And Yun bucks his hips again. Changmin closes his eyes against any awkwardness as his hand cradles Yun’s hard erection. He barely rubs and strokes it a few times before Yun drags Changmin on top and holds him, moaning and wailing his release. Changmin pants against Yun’s neck. Sweet Buddha… his wife was never this responsive! It’s such a fucking turn on! Changmin has to press his own erection into Yun’s thigh to relieve some of the throbbing.

 

He feels a lick to his cheek and jerks back to his side of the bed. Yun sits up and pants, doing nothing to cover himself. Changmin shuts his eyes and tries to breathe regularly. A finger pokes at him. Yun has his knees drawn towards his chest and he is looking up and down Changmin’s body like he’s too apprehensive to do what he wants.

 

“Yun… it’s okay. Do what you want.”

 

Yun blinks rapidly and begins unbuttoning Changmin’s shirt slowly. He sucks in a breath when Yun runs a hand over his chest, mimicking Changmin’s earlier action. The fine hairs on his chest stir with the caresses, causing desire to coil in his navel. When Yun lays a hand on the hard bulge in his briefs, Changmin maintains a minute of self-control then says, “Pull it out… please.”

 

It has been so long since he’s been touched there. And at the moment, he needs it like air. When Yun grabs him, Changmin curls his fingers around Yun’s hand to guide the man to perform slow strokes. Beads of liquid dribble from the tip, sleeking the hard length, thus making it easier to pump smoothly. Changmin releases Yun’s hand, as the man seems to get the hang of it quickly, and stares up at the ceiling, groaning as every nerve in his body burns up. His own hand has been his only companion for years. The feel of someone else’s hand is heavenly, especially Yun’s strong, warm grip.

 

With one long stroke from the base to the red, engorged head, then down again, Changmin arches his back and comes. He laughs hysterically as the last drop puddles to his stomach. “Never… oh Yun, you… that was… amazing,” Changmin stutters intelligently. Then he feels it… a tongue. Fuck it all!

 

Yun has bent down to lick at the mess on Changmin’s stomach. The pink tongue licks and retreats, flinching at the first taste. Yun peers up at Changmin’s dazed expression as he licks and retreats, over and over again, like a cat lapping at milk.

 

 _Mercy! Mercy!_ Changmin moans, brushing Yun’s bangs back to capture a full view of that painfully exquisite face. Yun eats up all of the sticky, white essence then rests his head on Changmin’s chest. The release has unraveled Changmin, and with Yun’s warmth, he is lulled to sleep.

 

Only in the morning does the overwhelming guilt and shame choke him. He had completely taken advantage of Yun in the worst way; sexually indulging in a man who has limited knowledge of civilized human interaction. And if Yun is in fact the Minister’s son, then Changmin should be hung at the noose for this sinful deed.

 

*~~*

 

The following day is full of awkwardness and unrelenting sexual agony for Changmin. Last night had unleashed Yun’s sexual awakening… well, a sexual awakening _for Changmin_. He tries to spend the day keeping his distance, but Yun follows him everywhere he roamed around the house, standing too close to him, sneaking licks and kisses on Changmin’s lips. Worst of it all — Changmin walks into the bedroom to collect dirty clothes and he sees Yun lying on the bed, similar to last night, with his shirt open and no underwear.

 

When Changmin notes the same hot look in Yun’s eyes, he figures the dirty clothes can wait and bolts out of the bedroom. He lays his head against a wall and takes a deep breath. He is a thread away from snapping and spending the whole day in bed with the wild man. But he restrains…

 

It’s not that Changmin wouldn’t know what to do. He had slept with a few guys, during military training and before his relationship with Seohyun. And yes, it has been a long time since he’s had sex, but that is not an excuse to continue using Yun.

 

At night, Changmin attempts to fake sleep as Yun writhes in bed once more. There are whimpers of “Momma…”again too, which Changmin tunes out by ducking under his pillow. After a while, Changmin lifts his head, startled at hearing teary sniffles.

 

Yun has his knees drawn up with his head buried in them. Changmin feels awful for neglecting the troubled man. “Yun, I’m sorry… are you okay?” He threads the silk cropped strands of hair through his fingers, making a mental note to fix Yun’s hair nicely for the ball tomorrow.

 

Moonlight streaming from the bedroom window reflects off Yun’s face when he lifts his head. “Min…”

 

The desperation in that tone echoes the desperation inside Changmin and lures him in, closer and closer until their lips meet in a wet, open-mouthed kiss. Yun flings himself onto Changmin as they kiss. Tugging lightly on Yun’s hair, Changmin flips them over. Yun thrusts his hips erratically while licking inside Changmin’s mouth, then locks his legs around Changmin’s waist and flips them back over. They wrestle back and forth like that for who knows how long as the kisses become more savage.

 

Changmin receives a hard bite to his upper lip and moans. They tumble again and somehow they both end up on their sides; Changmin behind with Yun’s head twisted to the side allowing for the kiss to carry on.

 

 _I need to bite too_ , Changmin muses while releasing Yun’s lips with a wet smack and trailing down the back of the wild man’s neck. He tosses Yun’s hair up and bites at the skin at the base of his neck. Yun whines, arching back into Changmin’s body, bottom pressed perfectly against Changmin’s crotch.

 

Gnawing and licking at the sore spot seems to make Yun feral because the next thing he knows, Changmin is elbowed in the chest. Yun growls with his back still turned. Changmin considers going to him, worried he did something to hurt the man.

 

Yun surprises the hell out of him by keeping his back turned and sitting up on all fours. The shirt tail rides up so, without underwear, Yun’s small bare bottom is almost right in his face. Growling again, Yun pushes back, a signal for Changmin to mate with him.

 

Hands trembling, Changmin holds Yun around the hips, thumbs stroking the soft skin. The bones protruding at the hips feel delicate in his palms. Changmin leans over Yun, letting the hardness through his underwear press into the open man. He closes his eyes for a second to imagine what it would be like to be primitive with Yun, then clears his head.

 

This is neither a marriage nor a necessity due to military isolation. If Changmin needs sex, there’s plenty of company out there that would be more than willing; high-class company too, if he pays generously.

 

“I can’t… Yun, we have to stop,” Changmin grits out because Yun presses back into his touch. He can see it now, come tomorrow at the ball: _“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Jung. I think I found your lost boy. He’s wonderful and fascinating and, oh by the way, I fucked him good.”_

 

 _Yes, those were true actions of a gentleman captain and are sure to make them proud of me_ , Changmin mocks himself.

 

Yun surges back insistently, giving Changmin a glimpse of his profile while saying, “This happens… when animals… need each other.”

 

“We are not animals,” Changmin disputes firmly, squeezing the other man’s hips. Unmoving and still on his hands and knees, Yun affirms stubbornly, “Human do this too.”

 

“ _Civilized humans_ don’t do it this way,” he snaps, immediately remorseful at the slight jab. It’s a lie, of course, and Changmin knows it. Yun even knows it, judging by the accusation in his shadowy gaze. Humans and animals will do it in this position. What’s more, the human, Shim Changmin, happens to favor this position.

 

“You d-deny my call?” Yun appears miffed.

 

Changmin is mildly irked; it’s not like this is what he wants to do. But he is a captain, he must act rightfully! The use of the word _call_ , maybe in reference to a _mating call_ , makes him question Yun’s experience. “You’ve done this before?”

 

Yun sits up on his knees and turns to face Changmin. “No. I saw… a lot.”

 

His arousal fades swiftly at the thought of someone else touching Yun intimately. He asks with trepidation, “Did anyone touch you?”

 

Nodding, Yun answers, “Sometimes nice… sometimes strange.”

 

“They hurt you?” Changmin probes edgily.

 

Yun revolves, back to the blatantly sexual position. “No hurt. Like the story I read to you… last night… about a prince. I was their prince.”

 

“Then, why did you leave there and come aboard my ship?”

 

Yun hangs his head down. “My life was boring. The people outside the forest… did not like me. I saw you. You were nice… and liked me. And helped those people in the cage. I wanted to go with you. You felt right.”

 

 _I felt right?_ That is the most heartfelt thing anyone has ever said to him. Not even Seohyun. She never took it further than “I love you” and “I miss you”. Changmin allows a familiar tender emotion to fill his lonely heart. Yesung was right. He is falling in love.

 

Suddenly humbled, Changmin moves Yun around to lie on his back, adjusting his limbs gently. Sliding down until he’s eye-level with Yun’s hips, Changmin stretches his neck, tongue out, to swipe his tongue across Yun’s hard length. The man goes crazy, screaming when Changmin starts to suck and tug with an insistent mouth. Changmin concentrates, quickly becoming aroused again and so grasps his erection with one hand to stroke it leisurely. His other hand is holding Yun’s twitching manhood as Changmin sends the younger man soaring with his mouth.

 

Yun lifts his hips to meet Changmin half-way, pumping a few times and then judders, releasing straight into Changmin’s awaiting mouth. He swallows the bitter sweetness and rests his head on Yun’s stomach as he groans out his own release with rapid strokes.

 

Changmin kisses Yun’s belly button. He feels a hand in his hair and pushes up into it. _I love you_ , it’s on the tip of his tongue to confess. He knows it’s crazy, stupid, and he might simply be deluding himself in love after being alone for so long, but he hasn’t been able to help himself since meeting this man.

 

When Changmin hears Yun’s soft snores, he whispers those three words into the rise and fall of Yun’s chest.

 

*~~*

 

Yun wakes Changmin with morning kisses. They lounge in bed lazily until loud knocks on the door drag Changmin out of the bed. It’s Kyuhyun and Siwon with sacks of take-out food. Changmin lays the food on the table in the living room and calls Yun to eat. When Yun emerges, he’s not just wearing a shirt with no underwear. No, this morning Yun is fully dressed, in one of Changmin’s pants and the button-up shirt tucked into them. Changmin is taken aback and only a bit disappointed he can’t see Yun’s legs.

 

He eats and talks with his men, keeping an eye on Yun’s behavior. If a stranger comes in, he or she would never guess Yun had lived with a tribe his entire life and lacked manners. Without assistance, Yun is eating everything with a fork and slurping soup with a spoon and using his napkin to wipe away stray food particles around his mouth.

 

Kyuhyun mutters to Changmin, “You’ve taught him well.”

 

“He’s a fast learner.”

 

The day is busily filled with preparing for the ball. Changmin takes Yun to a barber to have his hair cut and styled. He’s confident that they’ll leave the scene unscratched, but when the barber comes at Yun with a pair of scissors, Yun kicks him in the groin. Changmin tries to apologize but the barber is doubled-over in pain and cursing at them. He drags Yun out and takes him to a different barber shop.

 

They arrive home a few hours later. Yun’s hair had been trimmed and sleeked back, both sides tucked behind his ears with the fringe brushed to the side. Changmin orders Yun to not mess it up; the hairstyle suits Yun very well, making look like a young, elegant politician.

 

Their suits are delivered to the house. The ball is in a couple of hours and it takes about an hour to reach Gyeongbokgung Palace. In the bedroom, Changmin unboxes the suits. “Yun, baby, undress and put this on.”

 

Changmin puts on his own suit and adjusts the solid black tie. He looks at himself in the full-length mirror, patting down the suit and picking off invisible lint. Yun comes to stand beside him, dressed but needing help [with his check-patterned tie. After tying it in a wide knot, he folds the triangular flaps of the linen, front-ruffled shirt collar. He also buttons up the vest, tucking the tie into it. Yun steadily watches Changmin’s meticulous movements. Grabbing one of the top hats from the box, Changmin places it carefully on top of Yun’s head.](http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6651/yuib5kk8.jpg)

 

Tilting his head to the side, chin up, Yun demands, “Kiss…”

 

Changmin ducks under the hat to graze Yun’s plump lips. Yun slips his arms under Changmin’s armpits. Holding Yun by the arms, Changmin deepens the kiss. They part with a simultaneous moan. With moist lips, Yun says, “I will stay by your side at the ball. What else… do I have to do?”

 

Considering this, Changmin replies thoughtfully, “You might have to waltz with some ladies. Let me show you how…”

 

He instructs Yun on how to lead. They dance the “1… 2… 3… 1… 2… 3…” steps around the room, cheek-to-cheek, for an indefinable amount of time.

 

However, when Yun whispers, “What is love?” Changmin evades the question, releases him, and walks away. “It’s time for the ball. We need to pick up Kyuhyun and Siwon on our way.”

 

*~~*

 

Gyeongbokgung Palace was built centuries ago in Seoul, near the Han River; it’s quintessential Korean architecture. The palace is widespread, a collective inclusion of various buildings. The Seoul Society Ball is being held in the Royal Banquet Hall, which is located off on an ornate pond, like it’s floating on water. Colorful lanterns hang around the circumference of the double-stacked roof. White pillars circle the square-shaped hall, mounted from the ground to the first roof. Shorter, mahogany pillars are mounted from the first roof to the second roof. A teepee-designed crown sits on the very top of the building. Both floors of the banquet hall are open to the scenic lights shimmering off the pond and gentle breeze dancing through the pillars.

 

The arrays of lights irradiate Yun’s awe-struck face. Changmin laughs as he parks the carriage, “Never seen anything like this, have you, baby? Come on…”

 

Several large men are standing guard by the pillars with check lists and stern expressions. One of the men they approach permits Kyuhyun and Siwon to enter easy enough but with Changmin he’s frowning. “Name.”

 

“Captain Shim Changmin and guest.”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m not allowed to let you or your _guest_ in,” the guard snootily answers. Yun is peering around the large man at the gathering of people in the hall.

 

“Excuse me?” Changmin is outraged.

 

Out-of-nowhere, Jongkook appears. “Shim, you are on probation. And this _guest_ of yours is under house arrest. Did I not make myself clear before?”

 

Yun shuffles beside Changmin, looking at Jongkook uneasily. Superior or not, Jongkook is pissing him off. “I was personally invited by the Minster, Commodore. You expect me to just dismiss that?”

 

Jongkook briefly looks at a loss for words. Changmin turns to the guard and orders, “Move.”

 

The Commodore takes him by the collar and shoves him. “I said – You are still on probation. Leave or I will have you removed.”

 

Changmin yanks Jongkook’s arm away. “I _have_ to get in there. Get out of the way, Commodore!”

 

Narrowing his eyes, Jongkook snarls to the guard, “Take him and his guest away.”

 

The guard grabs Changmin’s arm. When Jongkook grabs Yun, Changmin is ready to beat up the guard _and_ Jongkook…and to hell with the consequences.

 

“Captain Shim!” calls the booming voice of the Minister. “What’s going on here? Release him!”

 

The guard immediately lets go of Changmin. Yun pulls away from Jongkook to stand at Changmin’s side. The Minister’s eyes linger on Yun as he says, “I assume this was all a misunderstanding. Changmin and his…guest…were personally invited. Go on and enjoy yourself, Captain. Jongkook, please explain to me…”

 

Not waiting for consent from the Commodore, the guard steps aside for Changmin and Yun to enter the banquet hall. Relieved, and also pleased to note the Minister’s gaze following them, Changmin leads Yun in with a firm hand on his back. Inside, long candle-lit tables around the square hall are filled with a sumptuous buffet and drinks. In one corner is a string quartet playing a harmonious, medium-tempo that’s drawing more and more couples onto the center dance floor.

 

As they advance into the hall, many people start to stare, mostly at Yun, who in turn looks back curiously but with a hint of fear in his eyes. Changmin tells him after they reach one of the tables, “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you. They’re probably just curious. Remember, to anyone that comes over, you need to bow. Try keeping a hand behind your back or both arms straight by your sides.”

 

Yun doesn’t seem to favor the hand behind the back pose. Changmin does, though, and bows to specific people gawking at them. He even spots his team of men with their respective dates or wives. Yesung escorts a woman with him to greet Changmin.

 

“Captain, you missed it. The Minister and the Commodore awarded me this medal,” Yesung points to badge on his suit jacket. “And got I ranked up to Lieutenant!”

 

Changmin smiles proudly, “I know, I had spoken to the Minister before. You deserve it, Yesung. Thank you.”

 

Yesung smiles back and bows, then greets Yun with a pat on the back. “So, why were you guys late?”

 

Changmin blames their tardiness on the only likely candidate. “Oh, you know how long it takes for Siwon to get ready…”

 

Yesung chuckles. “Well, have a great time. Enjoy yourself, Yun.” He winks and escorts the lady away, up the stairs for more intimate conversation.

 

Across the hall, Changmin notices the Minister is conversing with a foreign dignitary. Mrs. Jung is standing beside him… staring directly at Yun!

 

Perfect. Changmin turns away to pile food onto a plate. He won’t approach the Jungs immediately. He will give it some time now that Mrs. Jung is observing Yun closely. He makes a plate for Yun too.

 

Yun has a bite of rice before a petite young woman with a pretty face comes up to him. Changmin watches warily. It’s Lady Ara, daughter of one of the king’s advisors.

 

“Captain Shim,” Ara says with her eyes on Yun. “Who is this?”

 

“Lady Ara. He is a friend, his name is Yun,” Changmin responds. Ara’s eyes sparkle. It’s clear she wants a dance with Yun. Changmin intervenes because Yun keeps glancing at him for help. “Why don’t you two dance together? Yun, try the waltz with Ara.”

 

Ara needs no further invitation, leading Yun away by the arm. Changmin watches, food forgotten. That’s how he and Seohyun started out: a high-society party that led to an introduction, which led to a dance, then courting, and eventually marriage.

 

 _Yun and Ara look nice together_ , Changmin forces himself to admit. However, a big part of him wishes he never taught Yun how to waltz.

 

“Jealous?”

 

Changmin flinches. It’s Yesung again. “What’s your problem? Sneaking up on me like that…”

 

“I didn’t sneak. I just came down to fetch my lady’s coat from the carriage when I noticed you burning a hole through the Yun slash Lady Ara couple.”

 

Changmin sighs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “What do you want, Yesung?”

 

“Oh nothing,” Yesung responds in false casualty. “Just here to remind you that it’s okay to admit you’re in love.”

 

Observing how Yun stumbles on one step, making Ara giggle, Changmin says quietly, “I already have.”

 

Yesung jabs a thumb at the dancing couple. “What’s the problem, then?”

 

Deep-rooted frustration tumbles out of him. “The problem is I haven’t been in love for a very long time. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt this way about someone. I don’t know what to do. And that man over there hasn’t ever lived a normal life… who am I take that opportunity away from him and force him to stay with me?”

 

Yesung remains quiet. They both see how Yun keeps glancing at Changmin. Finally, Yesung says, “I don’t think you’d be forcing him.”

 

After Yesung walks away, Changmin notes another couple next to Ara and Yun: Mrs. Jung and Jongkook. As a gentleman of the navy, Jongkook acted politely by asking Mrs. Jung for a dance while her husband is still speaking with the dignitary. That’s what these social functions are set up for. Fortunately, even if many ladies are eyeing Changmin, none are taking the brave step to approach him… and Changmin cannot summon up even a speck of interest in requesting a dance from any of them. Although…

 

Changmin frowns. Jongkook is giving Mrs. Jung strange looks in his opinion, but Mrs. Jung isn’t paying attention. Eh, Jongkook has always been an intense man so it’s not too surprising, only a detail Changmin can’t help but notice. The waltz between Ara and Yun ends, diverting his attention to the young couple walking towards him.

 

The beautiful Yun grasps Changmin’s arm the moment they reach his side. Ara looks peeved. “He doesn’t speak much.”

 

Changmin is defensive. “Maybe he had nothing to say to you.”

 

Nose in the air, Ara ignores the jab. “Good day to you, Captain Shim. And to you, Yun.”

 

Yun leans up to whispers to Changmin, “I was uncomfortable.”

 

“Good or bad uncomfortable?”

 

“Bad.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Changmin inwardly rejoices. It’s immature but he’s greedy to keep Yun pressed to his side.

 

He glances across the hall again and searches for Mrs. Jung. The lovely older woman is standing adjacent to them, scrutinizing with narrowed eyes. Changmin quickly appraises Yun’s appearance. The top hat is concealing half his face. It’s time to be more conspicuous so he pulls Yun’s hat off. “Keep your hair tucked behind your ears… good.”

 

Changmin munches on more food, also making sure Yun eats. In a matter of minutes, Mrs. Jung is standing before them. “Mrs. Jung…Nara, how are you?” Changmin bows, cupping Yun’s lower back so he bows too.

 

Unable to wretch her gaze away from Yun, Nara responds with a question, “Who is this, Captain?”

 

 _Now is the time, Shim_ , Changmin mentally prepares himself and replies honestly, “He’s a stowaway from our mission to Taiwan. I found him living amongst a tribe there. He’s 25 years old. His name is… _Yun_.”

 

With each fact he revealed, Nara’s eyes widen. She clutches her chest at hearing the name and, with short gasps, murmurs, “Yun… _Yunho?_ ”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changmin, captain of the Korean navy, meets a mysterious tribal man that will change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to rocketsprout for the beta!

From across the hall, the Minister meets Changmin’s eyes then glances at his wife worriedly. Changmin’s stares drifts to an angry and calculating Jongkook. He tunes both men out and focuses on Yun, who is half hiding behind him, looking at Mrs. Jung cagily. Bending his head down an inch, Changmin reassures in a calm voice, “It’s fine, Yun. She won’t hurt you. This may be the woman from your dreams. Remember the toy deer?”

 

Yun looks up at him, stunned and shaking his head like he’s trying to sieve through his muddled memories. Mrs. Jung moves to the left to get a better look at Yun. “Yunho? Is that you? Captain Shim… Changmin, what’s going on?”

 

The mother is a mix of fearful and hopeful, imploring Changmin with her eyes. “Take a good look at him, Nara. It might be him.” He steps aside, putting Yun into full view of the woman. Yun grips the table behind him. Nara moves closer, a delicate hand reaching out.

 

“May I? Please…”

 

Yun looks toward Changmin then the woman. Nara touches Yun’s face reverently. Yun shuts his eyes, a hand reaching out for Changmin. He moves closer and lets Yun grip his index finger tightly.

 

A pin dropping can be heard as everyone in the hall hushed. The Minister walks quickly to take the place beside his wife. “Honey, what’re you doing? You don’t know this man.”

 

Nara doesn’t acknowledge her husband as two fingers brush over Yun’s upper lip. “Mole… he has a mole. Only Yunho did.” Nara gasps and circles Yun to stand behind him. Yanghyun appears more than concerned for his wife’s sanity. “Nara, what you can’t —”

 

She lifts up Yun’s suit jacket and un-tucks the white shirt from the back of the pants. “Nara!” Yanghyun is alarmed and upset with his wife’s improper behavior. Yun grunts, pulling Changmin closer.

 

A second later, a shriek reverberates from Mrs. Jung. “Back dimples! And the birth mark in the shape of a cloud… it’s Yunho!” She moves back to standing in front of Yun. “Do you recognize me? I’m your mother!” And she begins to tremulously hum a lullaby with “Bun-Bun-Bun-Bunny Yun” lyrics. Yun releases Changmin’s finger, staring at her hypnotically.

 

He croaks, “M-Momma? Momma…” She throws her arms around Yun and weeps into his back.

 

“Momma, yes, momma! My baby!”

 

Yun _is_ Yunho, back in his mother’s arms after 17 years. Changmin watches the reunion with a sting of tears in his eyes. Yanghyun looks at a loss. Changmin helps him. “Minister, it’s your son.”

 

Yanghyun really scrutinizes Yun’s face this time, able to see what he couldn’t see with Yun’s top hat on earlier. Slow recognition and affection swarms the aging man’s face, soothing out the wrinkles and making him appear younger. “My son… how is this possible, Captain?”

 

Changmin explains, “The mission to Taiwan — he was living among a tribe.”

 

“Taiwan,” Yanghyun repeats in disbelief. “How did he end up there? How did you find him?”

 

Looking back at Yunho, Changmin utters softly, “ _He_ found me.”

 

*~~*

 

The Jungs surround their son, embracing him, stroking his hair, and muttering words of affection. It’s time for Changmin to take his leave; there’s no room for him in the middle of a family reunion. Changmin adjusts the hat on his head and walks away still holding Yunho’s hat. He exits the banquet hall, passing the guards, to his horse and carriage. He climbs into the carriage, and pulls out the stuffed deer he hid there. Loneliness and sadness stab in the chest. As he predicted, no one got hurt by his risky plan. Alas, Changmin never took into account his own feelings afterwards. He supposes it doesn’t matter even if he had. He did the right thing. Two parents got their son back. And he…

 

He is alone. Again.

 

“Min!” Yunho is sprinting towards him. The Minister and his wife are standing by one of the pillars, watching their son. Changmin jumps out of the carriage, catching Yunho in mid-hug.

 

“Where are you going?” Yunho asks, panting as they hold each other. Changmin eyes the parents self-consciously, stepping back from the hug.

 

He presents the toy to Yunho. “For you. I wanted to give this back to you.”

 

Yunho stares from the toy to Changmin’s face. “Are we going home?”

 

Shoving the deer into Yunho’s hand, Changmin conveys the reality of their situation. “Yunho, you go home with your parents now… not with me.”

 

“But… Min…”

 

“No,” Changmin states strictly. “You are the son of Jung Yanghyun, the Minister of Korea. They lost you when you were a child and finally have you back. You must go with them. You must live your life as a Jung. You need to be with your family.”

 

Kyuhyun and Siwon come towards them. Kyuhyun says, “The party seems to be over. This story will make the front page tomorrow, just you wait.”

 

Changmin nods and orders, “Get in the carriage. I want to go home.”

 

“What about Yun?”

 

“He’s not coming with us.”

 

The stuffed deer is dropped to the ground as Yunho runs away. Mrs. Jung cries out, “Yunho, come back!”

 

Changmin darts after him, yelling out the parents, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back!”

 

Yunho escapes to one cluster of thin trees to the far right of the pond, which is still fairly lit by the bright lanterns of the banquet hall. Yun rests a hand on one of the trees, breathing shallowly. Changmin catches up with him and yells, “Why did you run away? You want to hurt your parents! They thought you’d been dead for 17 years! Go back to them now!” He grabs Yunho by the shoulders, spinning the other around to face him.

 

Yunho shrugs him off roughly and shouts, “No!”

 

“No?” Changmin’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean ‘no’? Your home is with them.”

 

Yunho jumps up to capture a branch and starts swinging off the tree. Changmin captures him by the waist to drag him down. “You stay on the ground. You behave yourself. Your parents need you, can’t you see that? Couldn’t you feel how much they love you?”

 

Hair in disarray, Yunho places his hands on Changmin’s shoulders for support as he slides down, body completely pressed into Changmin’s. Feet firmly on the ground, Yunho asks the same question he asked a few hours ago, “What is love?”

 

Changmin gazes into the orange lights reflected in the whites of Yunho’s eyes. “Love is what your parents feel for you. It’s people who care about you and need you in their life. It’s how… I feel about you.”

 

“Me,” Yunho starts, cupping Changmin’s right cheek and licking the left one. “You, my mate.”

 

Clearing his throat, Changmin denies in a low tone,“No. What happened the last two nights — it was wonderful but… you have a new life now.”

 

Yunho tunes out those words to lick his way to Changmin’s mouth. Oh those lips… Changmin doesn’t care how messy their kisses get; he wants to remain under this tree kissing Yunho forever.

 

Pulling back to bite Changmin’s chin, Yunho affirms again, “ _Mate!_ ”

 

Changmin keens at the teeth now sinking into his upper lip. “O-Okay, yes. Mate.”

 

Yunho stares up at him stubbornly. “If you love then don’t leave.”

 

Tucking Yunho’s hair behind his ears, Changmin nods. “You’re right. I’m not leaving you. I will visit you at your parent’s house as often as I can.”

 

“Every day?”

 

Chuckling, Changmin kisses Yunho. He knows he decided this on a whim but like everything else concerning Yunho, he cannot help himself.

 

Eventually, he walks Yunho back to the Jungs. Nara throws her arms around Changmin. “You darling boy! You brought us our son back! How can we ever repay you?”

 

Changmin sees Yanghyun put an arm around his son. Nara releases him as Yanghyun declares, “I assure you, Captain, you will be paid generously for this.”

 

Straightening his back, Changmin bows and declines, “Minister, with all due respect, I don’t want the money.”

 

Nara joins Yanghyun beside Yunho. The Minister appears surprised, “You don’t want the money? Then, what do you want, my dear boy?”

 

Eyes only for the Jung’s gorgeous son, Changmin hands Yunho the toy deer and top hat while replying, “I would like to request a date with your son. And many more after, if he so wishes.”

 

*~~*

 

Yunho watches Changmin with fierce cat-like eyes as he walks away. Changmin shudders with anticipation for their dates. He smiles until he reaches the carriage, where Siwon and Kyuhyun are waiting. “Ready to go?” He asks them. But before they can answer, the Commodore’s boots are crunching on the graveled pavement.

 

“Shim.”

 

“Sir.”

 

Jongkook glares at him; Changmin tries and fails not to grimace. He’s expecting a longer probation for this. When the Commodore speaks, he says the last thing Changmin expects to hear: “You are discharged from your captaincy.”

 

“Excuse me, Commodore?” Changmin can’t believe what he’s hearing. What he’d just achieved would grant him title of _Commodore_ if he so chooses to request it from the Minister. And yet, Jongkook plans on stripping him of the title he _earned_ after years of faithful service?

 

Jongkook steps forward, nose-to-nose with Changmin, and says, “You dare go against an order. You dare treat me with so little respect. I have had it with your attitude. I should pull you from the navy and strip you of your badges, but I won’t. You’re not a captain anymore. Consider yourself a simple officer. The _Choikang_ is no more.”

 

This knocks the wind out of Changmin. “C-Commodore, the Minister just got his son back. It was due to me bending your rules a little, sure, but how’s punishing me appropriate?”

 

Jongkook hisses, “This is _exactly_ the type of attitude I’m talking about. You don’t question my orders… ever! I stand by my decision, _Officer_.”

 

Dumbfounded, Changmin doesn’t know how to react… besides a desire to punch Jongkook right in the honker. Years of long hours in the office, taking heroic risks at sea, and having Seohyun angry at him whenever he came home late or disappeared for weeks at a time, all come crashing down on him. All of that and for what? So he can be kicked back to where he started?

 

A shout is heard. It’s the Minister calling jovially to the Commodore. “Jongkook! Come, we’re about to leave. Come see Yunho again!” Then Yanghyun waves at Changmin. “Thank you again, Captain!”

 

A hand is pulling on his arm. Kyuhyun say, “Let’s go, man. We’ll talk on the way.” Siwon drives the carriage while Kyuhyun consoles Changmin. He’s only half-listening to his friend’s rant about ‘that bastard of a commodore’.

 

With one ear tuned in to Kyuhyun and Siwon’s occasional comments and another ear towards the clucking gallops of the horse, Changmin represses the bitterness over the job demotion and lets his mind drift to Yunho. _What is he doing right now? How is he feeling? Is he missing my bed? Is he missing me?_

 

Siwon and Kyuhyun drop themselves off at their apartment. “Are you sure you’ll be alright, Changmin? Do need us to stay over at your house tonight?”

 

Changmin snaps out of his reverie and snatches the reins from Siwon. “I’m not a child, Kyu, thanks. Good night. I’ll be at headquarters in the morning.” He needs to get started on the investigating the crew hired when Yunho disappeared years ago.

 

When he arrives home, Changmin lights the furnace and pours himself a glass of wine. His stomach churns from the small portion of food he ate at the ball. He’s in between hungry and full but is too weary to grab anything from the kitchen. Loosening his tie, Changmin sips his wine and stares into the fire. There’s no Yunho to read out loud or shuffle around the house curiously or just simply tuck himself right next to Changmin. The house is quiet. It bothers him, even frightens him. He’s alone again. The thought of sleeping in his cold bed, without a warm Yunho, is unappealing.

 

Changmin looks down at his wedding ring, the thing which binds him to Seohyun. She’s dead, though. There’s no one to be bound _to_. It’s time to remove the invisible shackles forged by him, preventing him from moving on. Setting his goblet of wine down on the table, Changmin pulls the wedding ring off with a twist. He holds the simple gold band in his palm, and then does the first compulsive thing that comes to mind: he tosses it into the fire. Changmin watches the flames spark and flicker.

 

After another sip of wine, Changmin looks around the living room as if seeing it for the first time. He never picked out any of the furniture in this house. He never decided on a single thing. Seohyun and her mother took care of it all. Changmin only handled the finances. So, nothing here is truly _his_ in the real sense of ownership.

 

He stands up and walks around, touching everything. All things hold some memory. But those memories with Seohyun are replaced with memories of Yunho. He goes into the bedroom and picks up Yunho’s pillow. He inhales it; Yunho’s scent permeates his senses. Changmin blinks, kneeling down on the bed, clutching the pillow. No. He cannot hide here. He cannot use this place as a crutch again. He needs to start over.

 

The next morning Changmin speaks with the small restate agency a few blocks away. It’s time to sell the house… time for a new beginning.

 

*~~*

 

“So, what exactly are you looking for, Changmin?” Kyuhyun watches as Changmin rummages through a stack of files.

 

“Old files, Kyu.” Changmin opens up an old mission record from the same year the Jungs went on their tour of the Ryukyu Islands.

 

“The Minister and his wife went on a trip to the Ryukyu Islands 17 years ago,” Changmin begins explaining as his eyes skim through the records. “The crew, at the time, told them that Yunho was playing safely below deck, when in fact he wasn’t anywhere on the ship. So, either the crew lied or they really didn’t know. I collected these files from Jongkook’s secretary.”

 

Kyuhyun cackles. “And how did you acquire these important documents from fluff-ball Lee Sungmin?”

 

Changmin stops rummaging to peer beadily at his friend. “I may or may not have flirted a little.”

 

Raising a teasing, skeptical eyebrow, Kyuhyun hoots, “Dear Yun would not approve of such actions. Or did you get his approval?”

 

Red blotches coloring his high-cheekbones, Changmin corrects, “It’s _Yunho_ now, not Yun. And no, I do not need his approval when I’m trying to solve a case that involves him.”

 

Kyuhyun stares critically. Changmin concedes, “Okay, okay, so he might not like it.”

 

“ _Might not like it_ is an understatement,” Kyuhyun says over his mug of coffee. “He’d probably fillet Sungmin for a tribal cuisine.”

 

“Now why would you say that?” Changmin wonders coolly, yet secretly elated by his friend’s implication that he and Yunho are a couple.

 

Kyuhyun snorts. “As if you don’t know Yunho is in love with you. He may not understand it that way but he sure is mad about you.”

 

The stupidest grin remains plastered on Changmin’s face as he continues research. He sits back in his creaky desk chair, studying the list of names provided by the Minister. None of the politicians listed really stick out to him as capable of doing this. He sets the list aside for now, and opens the old file again. A frown darkens his face when he sees _“Discharged”_ next to each of the 10 crew men who worked on-deck.

 

Why were they _all_ discharged? Changmin chews on his lips. Three of them still live in Seoul but the others relocated. If it’s necessary, Changmin will arrange the travels to find them. However, it’s wiser to hound the three crew men living in Seoul. He’s going to make sure to get answers out of at least one of them!

 

Before he leaves headquarters, Changmin decides to ring the Jung residence. He says to the maid who answers, “This is Shim Changmin. May I speak to Mrs. Jung, please?”

 

He is put on hold then Nara comes to the phone, “Changmin! How are you? Yes, yes, Yunho, dear. I’ll let you speak to him in a minute.”

 

Grinning like a fool, to which Kyuhyun rolls his eyes at, Changmin says into the phone speaker, “I’m well, Nara. How are you?”

 

“Wonderful! Yunho is a joy! An absolute joy! I don’t know how I managed to _live_ without him! Changmin, darling, when will you visit us? Yunho has been asking about you.”

 

“He has?”

 

“Of course! Here, talk to him.”

 

A rustling sound scrapes through the receiver. Yunho speaks faintly, “Min. When will I see you?”

 

Rotating in his chair and smiling from ear-to-ear, Changmin murmurs fondly, “Yunho. Baby. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

 

“Not today?” There’s disappointment in Yunho’s voice.

 

Changmin reassures him, “Tomorrow. I promise. I have… a few things to do today.”

 

“Miss… you.”

 

Changmin closes his eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of feelings for this man. “I miss you too. I promise, baby, tomorrow. I’ll be there in the morning.”

 

“That was disgustingly sappy of you, man!” Kyuhyun says loudly after Changmin hangs up.

 

“And it’s almost noon – shouldn’t you be groped by Siwon right about now?” Changmin resorts as he pulls on his coat.

 

Siwon’s voice from the next cubicle calls out, “Oh, Kyuuuuu, where are you?”

 

Kyuhyun blanches. Changmin’s laughter booms all the way to the door.

 

*~~*

 

Changmin visits all three addresses that he jotted down from the files. The first crew man, a Mr. Kang, slams the door in his face after he introduces himself as an officer in the navy. It really isn’t all that surprising since the man was discharged for some unknown reason.

 

The second crew man, a Mr. Jhang, graciously lets Changmin in his home and his wife serves them tea.

 

After some casual conversation, Changmin grows impatient and poses the critical question: “During the trip with the current Minister and his wife, their son, Yunho, disappeared. Do you know what happened to him?”

 

Mr. Jhang clangs the tea cup to the saucer. “Nothing. The boy ran off and got lost. We never found him. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Officer Shim… I have a lot of work to do.”

 

Changmin leaves Mr. Jhang’s home a little bit on edge.

 

The third crew man, Mr. Park, stands at the doorway and eyes him with curious anxiety. He’s a small-framed boney man in his mid-40s. Changmin doesn’t have the tolerance for artificial pleasantries. So he cuts to the chase: “Mr. Park, I am here to investigate an incident that occurred 17 years ago. On the trip to the Ryukyu Islands with the current Minister and his wife, their son —”

 

“Yunho,” Mr. Park finishes.

 

Changmin’s mouth gaps. “May I come in, Mr. Park? I’d really like question you about the incident.”

 

Mr. Park shakes his head, eyes clouding over in fear. “I can’t do that, Officer Shim. H-He made me swear not to… or h-he’ll kill me.”

 

Changmin crushes the paper of addresses in his hand. “Who? Who threatened you?”

 

Mr. Park shakes his head incessantly and backs away.

 

Changmin steps forward quickly. “No! Please, I need —”

 

Mr. Park forces the door shut. Changmin pounds the door. “Mr. Park, please, it’s important!”

 

No response.

 

_Damn it!_

 

Changmin returns to the navy base headquarters to attend strategy meetings (as an officer) and then help some new recruits with their training. One young lad bows to him afterwards, “Thank you, Officer Shim.”

 

Changmin pulls on the rope sails extra hard, grumbling after the recruit leaves, “ _Captain_ Shim.”

 

*~~*

 

Changmin plans to try again with Mr. Park, but today, he has a more important venture: the date with Yunho. No need to make up any excuses for work because Jongkook pretty much ignores Changmin’s existence, giving him only trivial tasks to perform.

 

When he arrives at the Jung residence, a butler takes him to the living room. Yanghyun, Nara, and Yunho are sitting on the couch. Across from them is Jongkook. Changmin staggers, both from shock and from Yunho knocking right into him.

 

He wraps his arms around Yunho, eyeing Jongkook over the top of Yunho’s head. Changmin inclines his head. “Commodore.”

 

Jongkook gives him a frigid look. “Officer Shim.”

 

Yanghyun lowers his coffee cup. “Officer? I thought Changmin is captain.”

 

“He _was_ captain.” Jongkook addresses Changmin snidely, “But the change was necessary, wasn’t it, boy? Orders should have been followed, yes?”

 

Changmin simply stares back with an arm around Yunho’s shoulders. The awkward silence is punctured by Yunho announcing, “Our date is now.” He takes Changmin’s hand, leading him out of the room. Changmin forgets all the bullshit when Yunho takes him to a bedroom and says, “My room, Min.”

 

Looking around, Changmin is not surprised it’s the size of the entire living room of his old house. The room has a large bed with antique-looking side-tables, a dresser, and a small fluffy couch by the window. The room overlooks a picturesque garden outside.

 

“Oh, Yunho. You must be so happy here.” Changmin directs his full attention to the man seated on the couch.

 

Yunho is wearing a red and green hanbok made of very rich material, and looking at Changmin expectantly. He goes to sit beside Yunho and takes his hands. “Are you happy here?”

 

Yunho nods. “I am. Small memories, I remember now.”

 

“You’re getting some of your memory back, that’s wonderful.” It’s only been a day or so but judging by how close the Jungs had been sitting next to their son and how Yunho is richly-dressed and glowing, it’s easy to see the contentment of the household.

 

Yunho lifts Changmin’s left hand to eye-level. “Ring gone?”

 

“It’s gone,” he acknowledges. “Time to move on with my life.”

 

“My mate now.” Yunho pulls Changmin’s hand close to his chest, causing Changmin to lean forward from the respectable distance he was trying to keep on the small couch.

 

Changmin brushes his lips to Yunho’s cheek. “Yes, if your parents will — mmnfff… “

 

Yunho shuts him up with a kiss to the lips. Propriety makes him push Yunho back. “Yun… I mean, Yunho, we’re in your parent’s house. This isn’t appropriate behavior.”

 

Scowling, Yunho walks to the four-poster bed and crawls on top of it, in the same mating-call position from three nights ago. Changmin gulps and approaches him. Threading his fingers in Yunho’s hair, Changmin says softly, “Why do you do this to me? Do you know how much I want to give in?”

 

Yunho exclaims, “I am Yun! Your Yun! I want… I can’t sleep…”

 

“You can’t sleep well?”

 

Tears of frustration fill Yunho’s molten eyes. Changmin exhales raggedly, glancing down at his ring-less hand. His old life with Seohyun is over. If he mates with Yunho now, it’ll be like consummating a new marriage. They will belong to each other; Changmin and Yunho, mates forever.

 

Yunho growls at being ignored. Changmin takes a moment to glide his thumb across that soft cheek, making Yunho’s eyes brim with adoration. The lost man found him and became his salvation; Changmin can never walk away from this precious man. It’s time to start his new life – with Yunho.

 

Moving to stand behind Yunho, with determined hands, he lowers the baji of the hanbok. _No underwear_.

 

“Oh, Yun… baby… my mate. I want to have you.”

 

“Have me!” Yunho squirms, urging Changmin, giving him all the right body signals.

 

Glancing at the closed door, Changmin takes out his cock and strokes it to full hardness. Then, he touches Yunho’s ass and uses his other hand to get a better look at the entrance. Yunho’s hole is so tiny… virginal. Worriedly, and before he loses himself to the lusts of the flesh, Changmin searches for lotion in Yunho’s dresser. He can’t find any. But on one of the side-tables there’s a small jar of lotion.

 

Wound up from being left in that brazen position for too long, Yunho reaches back to grab Changmin by the cock. Yunho tries to lead the cock towards his hole, moaning and licking his lips and whispering, “Love… mate…”

 

Changmin goes into a quiet frenzy at the feel of Yunho’s hand; he has to push it away or he’ll come prematurely. Palming himself while spreading some cream on him and Yunho, Changmin blocks everything out of his mind. It’s just him and his mate. His wild mate. His sexy wild mate…

 

He _should_ be tutoring Yunho on propriety. He _should_ be doing the right thing and court the man; sip tea with him in the garden or take him for a walk or to a restaurant. Instead, Changmin drags Yunho to the edge of the bed. He’s going to fuck him, animal-style, in the Minister’s house.

 

Throwing his hair back, Changmin parts and breaches Yunho, who is keeping quiet but quivering like a leaf. Changmin wants to hear the cries of pleasure without alerting the entire household. So, he reaches out to cover Yunho’s mouth with a firm hand, manually gagging him.

 

Muffled cries vibrate through his hand as Changmin penetrates further into the tightest hole he’s ever been inside of; it fits him like a one-size-too-small glove. “Ahrgh! Yun… this is not real… it can’t be real…” Yunho pushes his hips back, sliding Changmin in to the hilt.

 

It is real! He bites his lips to control the screams and pounds in and out, hipbones smacking against Yunho’s ass. More and more. Faster and faster. Changmin’s words are punctured by each thrust. “Yes, I need you, yes… fuck, you’re mine… so tight… Yun?”

 

Yunho nips Changmin’s fingers lightly, panting with each plunge into his body. Neck muscles thick with tension, Changmin says, “I — I can’t hold on anymore…” He frees Yunho’s mouth to feel his way down to Yunho’s rigid cock. He pumps it rhythmically. Pump, thrust, pump, thrust… until Yunho is whining and spilling all over his hand and bed sheets.

 

Changmin coos, “Good, baby, good…” He grips Yunho’s shoulders tightly while riding out the final wave of mind-numbing ecstasy.

 

Changmin collapses on top of Yunho, burying his nose in the other man’s hair. It smells of vanilla soap. Yunho’s breathing has calmed and he rolls over, careful to remain underneath and in Changmin’s arms.

 

“Love mate?” Yunho says, voice raspy.

 

Changmin smiles gently. “Yes, love mate. I love my mate. I love _you_.”

 

Yunho blinks at him and smiles for first time since he’s met him. A beautiful sunshine smile. “Love…” Yunho whispers, beating his heart with a fist. With a small laugh, Changmin beats his own chest with a fist too. “Love.”

 

They lie entangled on the bed, slumbering for a few minutes. Changmin eventually rouses and cleans Yunho with a handkerchief. Just as they’ve both adjusted their clothes, there’s a small knock at the door and Nara’s voice. “Yunho… Changmin… how about tea in the garden?”

 

*~~*

 

Changmin visits Yunho every day, whether before work in the morning or after work in the evening, it doesn’t matter as long as they see each other. This goes on for weeks. The Jungs’ house becomes like a second home to Changmin. Not that Changmin truly has a first home anymore. The real-estate agent found a family to buy his old marriage house after only one week. So, Changmin has been crashing at Kyuhyun’s and Siwon’s place with his two suitcases full of clothes and small essential items; he left all the furniture and kitchen things to be sold with the house.

 

And often times on his visits to Yunho, Changmin stops by Mr. Park’s house. He knocks, waits, calls out from behind the door, but there is never an answer. It discourages Changmin a little but persistence is key. Maybe if Mr. Park sees how important this case is to him, he’ll divulge some information. It’s obvious to Changmin that Mr. Park is hiding something… as were the other two crew men.

 

One Friday evening, he’s having supper with the Jungs. Yunho is seated beside him, eating properly and with the best manners. Over the past few weeks, Yunho has been spending time with a private tutor, Mr. Han, who Changmin is leery of. Not that private tutors are a bad thing but Changmin feels it would be best if Yunho is tutored by those who love him. Either by him or Nara. He fears the Jungs are making the same mistake twice by putting Yunho in the hands of a stranger.

 

Just yesterday, Yunho told Changmin that the tutor took him to the park for a history lesson. But when Yunho got curious about a swing set and started swinging off horizontal bar, the tutor got angry.

 

“He yelled at me and said I wasn’t using it properly,” Yunho confessed to Changmin. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. But other people… laughed.”

 

Changmin’s expression became thunderous. “They laughed at you? And he let them? What gives him the right to yell at you in the first place?” That squirrely man is going to get a piece of his mind the next time he sees him.

 

Yunho shrugged and appeared like he wanted to say more. “What is it, Yun?” Changmin coaxed.

 

“I felt… hurt by the laughing.”

 

“You mean embarrassed, right?”

 

Yunho looked ashamed. “Yes, embarrassed.”

 

Embarrassment — a concept probably lost on a man who was raised in the jungle. Changmin raised a shaky hand to Yunho’s face, trying to stifle his anger. “We all get embarrassed sometimes. Had you ever felt like this before?”

 

Yunho licks Changmin’s palm, and Changmin is momentarily grateful Yunho hasn’t hindered himself from that habit. Yunho answered, “When the people outside the forest would… beat me.”

 

As Changmin chews on a bite of fish, his guts twist at yesterday’s memory. He has to mentally block the image of those villagers beating Yunho otherwise he’ll be filled with enough rage to sail back to Taiwan and make them all suffer.

 

Yanghyun comments to Yunho pleasantly, “Son, your mother tells me Lady Ara has been asking about you. Would you like to ask her for a visit one day?”

 

Yunho bluntly replies, “No. She smells weird.”

 

Changmin snorts a laugh into his drink. Nara holds in a giggle and says to her husband, “I don’t think Yunho really cares for her, honey. Not when he’s being courted so thoroughly by our Captain Shim.”

 

Changmin chokes and refutes in a strangled tone, “Courting? And Mrs. Jung, I’m not a captain anymore.”

 

Nara rolls her eyes. “As if you’re not courting. You come here every day. And you bring Yunho flowers sometimes. It’s pretty obvious…”

 

Yanghyun gives Changmin a hard, thoughtful look. “Normally, Changmin, I wouldn’t approve. But you two are a rare case. You, my boy, did something that warrants the highest honors. A true reward can never be measured for your deed. Yunho is beyond attached to you. What happens now is entirely up to you two. We’ve lost our son for too long to deny him happiness.”

 

Changmin bows his head humbly. Yunho grabs his hand under the table and mumbles, “Mates.”

 

Nara’s voice sharply interrupts. “I still can’t believe Jongkook demoted you! I don’t care what his reasons are, it’s ridiculous! You led a successful mission and brought us back our son!”

 

Something occurs to Changmin, prompting him to ask, “Do you know him well, Nara?”

 

Nara hums a yes. “We were friends back in school. Then, Yanghyun came along and stole me away.” She giggles jokingly as Yanghyun kisses her hand.

 

Changmin dwells a second on the new information, recalling the way Jongkook danced with Nara, before Yunho drags him up for a walk in the garden. They sit on the grass underneath a wooden arch wrapped in flower vines. Yunho leans back against the arch… Changmin scoots closer and drops a tiny lick on Yunho’s bottom lip.

 

Shutting his eyes, Yunho asks, “When can I live with you again?”

 

Changmin has dodged this topic for weeks. He can’t anymore. “I don’t have a home. I sold the house.”

 

Yunho opens and narrows his cat-eyes. “Why? Where are you living?”

 

Playing with Yunho’s fingers, Changmin speaks deeply, “I couldn’t live in that house by myself anymore. It was time to put the past behind me. I’m staying with Kyuhyun and Siwon for a little while.”

 

“I could live with you again… live in that house.”

 

Changmin shakes his head. “I need… something new.”

 

“New?”

 

“Yes, new.”

 

Yunho looks at him pensively, biting his lip. Changmin kisses him. Yunho moans and says against his lips, “Mate…”

 

“Sex,” Changmin corrects with a teasing snarl. “Say _Sex me, Min_.”

 

Unfazed, Yunho repeats with dilated eyes, “Sex me, Min.”

 

Changmin groans with need. He lays Yunho on the ground and spreads the now-squirming man’s legs. He hooks those legs around his waist and presses his body down to feel Yunho’s every curve. Yunho opens his mouth for a kiss and Changmin loses it.

 

*~~*

 

On the ride back to Kyuhyun’s and Siwon’s place, Changmin decides to visit Mr. Park. The more time he spends with Yunho, the more he’s becoming desperate to find the bastard who was responsible for kidnapping and leaving his Yun in the hands of a lawless society.

 

Changmin knocks on Mr. Park’s door. He gets a rude “Go away, Officer Shim!” response. Yet, he can’t summon up any anger at being dismissed for the 20th time.

 

Changmin slides down the door and speaks from the bottom of his heart, “Mr. Park, this case is not about some officer wanting to crack a case to get a bonus or any type of reward. I chose to reopen this case because it was important to me. _Yunho_ is important to me. Yunho is alive, did you know that? We stumbled into each other’s path during a rescue mission to Taiwan. I didn’t know who he was when he snuck onto my ship, but I brought him back to Korea. Low and behold, I discovered Yunho is the son of the Minister. I wasn’t expecting that…”

 

Changmin pauses and takes a deep breath, brushing his long hair out of his face. “I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him either… I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with anyone after my wife died years ago. He is very special to me. And to hear he was abused by those around him when he tried to live among the _civilized_ , breaks my heart. It makes me burn for revenge.”

 

“Please, Mr. Park, think of the parents. If you had a son and had this happened to him, wouldn’t you need to know who did it? I want to give this satisfaction to the Jungs. Also, I fear the vengeful man who planned it once might do it again if he finds out Yunho is alive and back with his parents.”

 

Minutes tick by in silence. He bared his soul to a complete stranger and received no response. Changmin bites back the bitter disappointment.

 

Just then…the door opens.

 

Changmin springs to his feet. Mr. Park looks haunted. “Come in, Officer.”

 

There are no pleasantries; no tea is served. There’s just reticence from Mr. Park as he collects his thoughts and drinks his way through a bottle of soju. Changmin waits patiently.

 

After a while, Mr. Park takes in a shuddering breath and starts, “Not a day went by these 17 years that I haven’t thought of young Yunho. You tell me he’s alive? My stomach has finally unclenched.”

 

Folding his hands together in his lap, Changmin says, “So it was an elaborate plot against the minister. Not a case of a child wandering off.”

 

Mr. Park put his head in his palm. “No, Yunho _did_ wander off. But he was lured there… by me.”

 

Changmin scrunches his pants with his fingers. Mr. Park watches him pitifully. “I wouldn’t be opposed to you punching me. I deserve it.”

 

“I’m not going to punch you,” Changmin reassures in a tone that carefully warns: _for now_. “Why did you do it, Mr. Park? Who put you up to the task? Or are you the one with the grudge against the minister?”

 

Mr. Park lets out a sardonic laugh. “No, I’m not the one with the grudge. It was our captain.”

 

Changmin’s back is stiff as a board. “Is that captain still alive?”

 

“Oh yes, very much so. I get threatening letters every month to keep my mouth shut. He told me at the time that I would be rewarded beyond my wildest dreams. Instead, I was fired and I’m trained to do little else. I work odd jobs here and there. But he ruined my life and has held a sword over it for too long. I don’t care anymore. I want you to know the truth and expose him.”

 

Leaning forward on the table between them, Changmin summaries, “So the captain bribed you to lure Yunho away as the Jungs were touring one of the islands… you took him to Taiwan?”

 

Mr. Park nods. “We were on the far west of the Ryukyu Islands and very close Taiwan. The captain had heard of a tribe living there, infamous for doing grotesque things to people and that many people have went missing upon entering their forest. He wanted Yunho to disappear there.”

 

Before Changmin can ask for details, Mr. Park says, “I borrowed a small boat and rowed Yunho to the shores of Taiwan. I kept telling the boy his parents were waiting for him on the other side.” Mr. Park’s voice cracks. “And he believed me. Right up until I led him into the forest and told him there was a mystic waterfall deep inside where his parents were. He excitedly went in… I had to walk away.

 

“As I rowed myself back to the nearest Ryukyu Island, I vomited in the water. The captain had stalled the return to that island by going around several others, giving me more time. They arrived back and the search for Yunho began. The Jungs didn’t see me; they were too blinded by the mission to find their son.” Mr. Park sighs, rocking in prayer position.

 

Changmin laces his fingers together and looks the distraught man dead in the eyes. “Who was the captain? Tell me.”

 

Mr. Park raises an unsteady hand to his mouth and mutters a name. Changmin bolts up, bumping the table with his knees – the soju bottle topples and rolls onto the floor.

 

_Damn. This whole fucking time…_

 

*~~*

 

Early the next morning, Changmin is straightening his uniform and knocking on the Commodore’s office door. He enters upon permission. Jongkook takes one look at him and grids his teeth. “What do you want, Shim? I’m busy.”

 

Changmin sits casually in a chair. “This won’t take long. I just have… a request.”

 

“What?” Jongkook shuffles a few papers, appearing bored.

 

“I would like to negotiate my captaincy back.”

 

Jongkook scoffs. “There’s no room for negotiation. As I told you before, my decision is final.”

 

Changmin frowns, “Can you explain to me _why_ I was demoted again? I can’t quite understand why.”

 

Now sitting in his chair, Jongkook smirks, “You disobeyed me. You were on probation to keep that savage under house arrest. And I was keeping tabs on you. You took him out a lot. I didn’t say anything since it was no harm. Then your blatant lack of respect at the ball was the last straw.”

 

Folding his arms together, Changmin says icily, “ _Savage?_ I’m sure the Jungs and especially Nara would be pleased to hear you refer to their son as _savage_.”

 

Jongkook sets a paper down slowly. “ _Nara_. Oh yes, you are on first name basis with the Jungs. Must be nice as you’re screwing their son.”

 

Changmin’s eyelids twitch. “Don’t speak as if you know anything about my relationship with Yunho. But I heard you yourself are good friends with Mrs. Jung. I find that interesting.”

 

Jongkook’s a cold slate now. “Why the hell would _that_ be interesting?”

 

Changmin feigns astonishment. “Surely, Commodore, it’s obvious. If you are her friend, shouldn’t you be happy that she got her son back? Isn’t that how a true friend should feel? And yet, you punish the man responsible for making her happy again. Why is that?” Jongkook doesn’t answer him.

 

A thick cloud of tension hangs between them. Changmin puts a confused frown on his face. “It almost seems like you have something against her son. Ah. You know, that reminds me of another bit of information. Yanghyun told me you were the captain on their little trip to the Ryukyu Islands. So, you knew their son as a boy. One would think that would endear you to him…”

 

Jongkook gets a nasty glint in his eyes and laughs. “You’re good, Shim, but you seem to think me some sort of fool. I know you’ve been snooping around. My secretary tipped me off about your request for those old records.”

 

Predictable, really, that Jongkook would know. Changmin leans in, elbows on his knees. “I did get curious, yes. I wondered who was responsible for what happened to Yunho.”

 

Jongkook laughs again, standing to watch the new recruits training outside. Then, he speaks nonchalantly, “It’s unfortunate that Mr. Park spilled about what happened.”

 

A chill runs up Changmin’s spine. “Why _unfortunate_?”

 

“Because he’s dead,” Jongkook says with an ugly sneer.

 

Changmin shoots out of his seat. “You murdered him?”

 

Jongkook spins around with a crazed look. “You think I would risk that fool going to the authorities? Not that it matters. An alcoholic ex-sailor can easily be squashed when up against me in court. But I didn’t want to risk it with you sticking your large nose where it doesn’t belong.”

 

Fury at the injustice burns through Changmin. “You think you being a conniving, heartless bastard and ruining the life of a boy who couldn’t defend himself and tearing the Jung family apart is nobody’s business but your own?”

 

“ _Tearing the Jung family apart_?” Jongkook spits out bitterly. “It was all waste, it did nothing! She still stayed with him!”

 

And there it is: the motive.

 

Head tilted down, eyes bearing down on the Commodore, Changmin taunts, “You are in love with Nara, aren’t you? Could never stand the fact that she married Yanghyun?”

 

Jongkook reaches behind him at lightning speed and pulls out a pistol, aiming it at Changmin. “Shut up! I could have had her! That Yanghyun seduced her — warped her mind. I love her more! Then, they go and make that disgusted boy together!”

 

“Hmm,” Changmin pieces it all together. “So, you thought that if you took away the fruit of their love it would all fall apart and she’d coming running to you.”

 

Jongkook tightens his grip on the pistol. “It would have worked. If you didn’t go and play the hero. I was visiting her constantly. I made her smile. It was like old times…”

 

Changmin says with pity, “And you really thought it was going to work? To make her love you under such base actions and pretenses?”

 

_Click!_ Jongkook readies the gun. “It doesn’t matter to me what you think. You should be worrying about your own life because I plan to put a bullet through that thick head, and cut your hair with my sword… it is after all part of regulation.” Changmin glances down, nails piercing his palm.

 

The office door flies open. A new voice says, “I don’t think so, Jongkook. Thank you, Changmin, for bringing this to light.”

 

It’s Yanghyun, appearing thunderous and pale. Last night, Changmin traveled back to the Jungs immediately after the meeting with Mr. Park and told the Minister what the old crew man revealed about Jongkook, their supposed family friend.

 

Five police officers appear behind Yanghyun, pistols pointed at Jongkook, who looks faint with shock. The criminal is tied at the wrists, arms twisted behind his back. As he’s shoved forward, Yanghyun looks his nose down on him. “You will be taken to court. A crazed murderer against me is easily _squashed_. No execution, though. But how about banishment in a little forest on the beautiful island of Taiwan? I believe you deemed it worthy of my son. Think of it as a life-long vacation.”

 

Jongkook looks hateful and miserable as he’s hauled away. They all follow the police out of the building. Yanghyun halts the officers before Jongkook is taken into the police carriage. “Oh, and _Commodore_ , I’ll be sure to tell my dear Nara what a wonderful friend she had.” Jongkook venomously curses as he’s shoved inside the carriage.

 

Yanghyun breathes and relaxes his countenance, then faces Changmin. “You, Commodore Shim, are an exceptional young man.”

 

Changmin doubles back. “C-Commodore?”

 

Yanghyun smiles warmly. “Yes, _Commodore_.”

 

*~~*

 

It’s not official yet, but Changmin starts his first day as commodore after the Minister leaves. His men tease him. Kangin and Shindong enviously congratulate him. Eunhyuk and Yesung give him a grand ol’ pat on the back.

 

Yesung whispers to him: “So, are you marrying Yun?” Changmin shoves him away playfully.

 

Onew gives him a hug and asks about Yunho’s well-being. Minho bows and stutters, “I — I have a girlfriend now, Commodore.” As if Changmin wonders or even cares. He controls the urge to roll his eyes and says pleasantly, “Well, good for you, Minho.”

 

Kyuhyun ruffles Changmin’s hair and complains, “Does that mean I have to call you Commodore now?”

 

Siwon gives him a gift for Yunho — a crucifix necklace. “I know he really liked mine. Just thought he’d like one of his own.” Changmin thanks him and pockets the gift. He leaves headquarters with a big smile; his men are the best. He can’t wait to get them on a ship and multiply the lists of demands.

 

Changmin rides to Yunho’s house. He needs to celebrate with his mate. When he arrives at the Jungs, Yunho isn’t home. Changmin frown at Nara, “Is he with his tutor?”

 

Nara nods good-naturally. “Mr. Han wanted to take him out today.”

 

“To the park again?”

 

“No, fishing actually. Isn’t that neat? It was actually Jongkook’s suggestion when he visited during one of Yunho’s sessions.”

 

_Jongkook!_ Changmin stares at the old clock in the living room. “When did they leave?”

 

“About an hour ago.” Changmin rushes out, leaving Nara confused.

 

He unties the carriage and straddles the horse; it’s faster this way. He rides quicker than ever, heart pounding, ignoring the stabs of dread. _Yunho is alive… I’ll find him!_

 

The horse whines as Changmin pulls his reins hard to a stop near the docks. He looks around frantically from the top of the horse, hoping to spot Yunho in a small boat, holding a fishing rod.

 

Nothing. No small boats anywhere.

 

He shields his eyes from the sun and stares off into the distance. One of the smaller ships, the _Kim_ , is sailing. Changmin rakes his brain for today’s list of scheduled departures. No mission comes to mind. Who is steering this ship away?

 

Changmin hops off the horse. He runs to the end of the dock and yells, “Hey! HEY!”

 

He spots the man at the helm waving to him. Changmin squints. Who the hell is that? Changmin observes every inch of the ship, eyes peering up at the sails. There’s a man on the sails.

 

Only one man would ever climb up on the sails: _Yunho!_

 

Changmin acts quickly. He boards the former _Choikang_ and lowers one of the small boats and climbs down the ladder of the ship to hop into it. Changmin rows as hard as he can, muscles flexing, body drenched in sweat in a matter of minutes.

 

The ship is moving slowly; it must be rowed by a small crew. Changmin approaches the ship steadily, small waves lapping him back and forth when he’s hovering next to the ship. He stops rowing and kneads his aching arms and shoulders. Looking up and assessing the distance, Changmin quickly makes the decision to dive into the water.

 

He swims then grabs hold of the rectangular step-knobs on the side of the ship. He climbs, grinding his teeth, face slick with perspiration. Before he reaches the top, he spots a man with his back to him, leaning on the railing. Changmin keeps climbing, and when he’s right under the man, he leaps. Slinging a strong arm goes around the man’s neck, he flips him backwards over the top of the rails. The man plummets straight into the water.

 

When Changmin swings his legs over and he lands on deck, a sword is held to his throat. It’s Mr. Han. “Well, Jongkook warned me you might try to do this.”

 

Wet hair plastered to his face and breathing harshly, Changmin mocks, “Jongkook? Jongkook has been arrested.”

 

Mr. Han is shocked. “What? Arrested?”

 

Changmin snidely replies, “That’s right. So whatever reward he promised you is moot. You will get nothing but the pleasure of staring at iron bars for the rest of your life. Where’s Yunho?”

 

Mr. Han sneers, “I don’t know where that insipid boy is!”

 

Out of nowhere, Yunho jumps on Mr. Han’s back and bites his ear hard, making him scream and crumple to the deck floor. Changmin kicks the sword out of the tutor’s hand and holds it up in triumph. “Thanks, baby!” Changmin smiles at Yunho, who grins back.

 

Nicking Mr. Han’s back with the tip of the sword, Changmin forewarns, “If you try anything, I’ll slice you up nice.” He sees the crew, a few of the men Changmin doesn’t recognize, and announces, “I’m Commodore Shim Changmin! Back to the docks or I’ll make sure the King has you hung by nightfall!”

 

The men run into each other to follow orders. Changmin makes sure to tie Mr. Han to one of the masts then joins Yunho at the rail. Changmin sets the sword down and pulls Yunho in his arms. “Didn’t I tell you to never climb the sails?”

 

Yunho’s muffled response rumbles through Changmin’s wet uniform. “I like it. I like the wind.”

 

Changmin presses a kiss to Yunho’s forehead. “I don’t ever want to lose you, Yun.”

 

“Never ever! You will find me, Min!” Yunho says with conviction. Changmin whispers, “ _Yes_ , dear one. I love you.”

 

Yunho holds him and breaths, “I love _you_.”

 

*~~*

 

**A month later…**

 

Yunho is lying flat on Changmin’s desk, ass balanced on the edge, and he’s panting and gasping for air.

 

“Say it again!”

 

“Sex me up, Min!”

 

With his wide lips, Changmin makes loves to that plump mouth. Yunho runs his fingers through Changmin’s long hair and pulls. Grasping Yunho’s butt-cheeks in his palms, Changmin squeezes as he grinds into the writhing man beneath him.

 

Yunho arches and bites at Changmin’s jaw. The cat-nipping is a new trick that has become Changmin’s undoing. A couple of quick, hard thrusts into Yunho and he’s coming. Withdrawing from the quivering body, Changmin licks his way down Yunho to take him into his mouth, sucking the sweet essence from Yunho’s body until his Tarzan is bucking up so desperately he knocks Changmin to the floor as he comes too.

 

Panting, Changmin lays his head against the desk, pulling Yunho down to floor. Happily, Yunho reclines half in Changmin’s lap. “Min, I love you.”

 

Changmin swells with love when hears those words from Yunho’s lip. He licks at the other’s nose. “If you love me, you’d come into my office for this more often.”

 

Yunho frowns seriously and says, words still slow but more fluid, “You gave me this job as your secretary. The other men judge me when I come in here.”

 

“Ignore them. They’re just bored… and jealous since don’t have the opportunity to mate at work.”

 

Yunho looks content with the explanation. Then, he stretches up the desk, searching for something. Changmin seizes the moment to nibble on Yunho’s pectoral… his mate laughs and squirms.

 

Changmin can’t be more thrilled at offering Yunho the job. Besides _this_ little perk they both get out of the arrangement, Changmin sees how Yunho is thriving. He’s getting used to being around people, his language skills are ten times better, and he’s good at following Changmin’s orders but, at the same time, rebels just enough to have Changmin breathless for an office session like this one.

 

The only reason Yunho ended up in here today is because he refused to take a piece of paper to Siwon… complaining that any visit to Siwon’s office includes an hour-long sermon on Bible scripture. Yunho can’t sit still for a minutes, much less an hour. The man is so damn curious and snoopy about things; it’s endearing as well as frustrating.

 

“Changmin,” Yunho purrs in his ear, licking it. Eyes drooping, Changmin holds the back of Yunho’s head.

 

There’s a small tug on his hair. “Min, I have something to show you.”

 

Sensing the gravity of the tone, Changmin sits up better. “Tell me.”

 

A paper hovers in front of his face. Reading the title quickly discloses a deed to a house. “Yun, what is this?”

 

Playing with one corner of the paper, Yunho answers, “My parents helped but, I chose it. It’s a house. Just for us. You said you wanted something new.”

 

Overcome with emotion, Changmin bites his lips. “Yunho, baby… I…”

 

Yunho speaks timidly, “Maybe, we can also get a pair of rings…”

 

Changmin is left speechless. All he can do is kiss Yunho silly and give in to the joy the future will surely bring – a sweet, stubborn secretary at work (who he plans to take on his next mission) and a sexy mate for life.

 

The kiss gets wilder, more untamed with passion. Yunho moans loudly at every lick. Changmin struggles to hold on to the whirlwind in his arms but he wouldn’t have this man any other way. His wild man. His Yun.

 


End file.
